Detroit Lions – Page 27

Lions Derrick Barnes says unfinished business key to signing of 3-year contract extension

ALLEN PARK — Detroit has become home to linebacker Derrick Barnes since the Lions drafted him in 2021. He did not want to leave.

Unfinished business was also a key reason Barnes signed a three-year $25.5 million contract extension with $16 million guaranteed and a $6.32 million signing bonus.

“When it came down to it I told my agent I wanted to go back home, I wanted to be in Detroit, that’s where I belong and we’re building something great, we’re continuing to build something great and I want to be a part of it,’’ Barnes said at a Monday press conference.

Barnes tore his PCL and MCL in his right knee in Week 3 last season.

“The fact that they had that faith in me to pay me that amount of money coming off this injury is amazing to me,’’ Barnes said. “It’s emotional because I know a lot of people don’t get this opportunity especially coming off knee injuries.’’

He could only watch as the team won its second straight NFC North title and then fell apart, losing to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“This is a winning program now. We’ve changed things, like I said, we’ve got the culture where going to the playoffs is not going to be enough for us. We need to be in the dance,’’ Barnes said. “That’s why we let the outsiders think what they want to think but we know who we are and what we’re capable of doing. That window is definitely still open and I’m super excited to be a part of it.’’

He loves the team that has been built under the direction of GM Brad Homes and coach Dan Campbell since they took over in 2021.

“We’re building something great here and I want to be a part of that,’’ Barnes said.

Physically he said the knee is fine now. He said he can take a deep breath and start training now that the deal is done.

“As far as my game, we saw a little glance of what I was becoming for three weeks (last year) and I think there’s a lot more to come – knowledge of the game and even physically I feel like I’ve taken a step and kind of just playing a little more of a leadership role. I’m kind of older in Year 5, which is crazy to think about.’’

He felt like he was playing his best ball at the time but thinks his best is yet to come.

Kelvin Sheppard, who coached the linebackers the past three seasons, has been promoted to defensive coordinator after Aaron Glenn moved on to become head coach of the New York Jets.

“Like you all know, we’ve seen that coming with (Sheppard). Passionate about the game, loves the game, loves the players, cares about the players. That’s one of the things I love about him is how passionate he is about getting players better and putting them in positions to be successful,’’ Barnes said. “That was a big part of my decision to come back to Detroit. He is a guy that anybody would want to play for. Him being D.C. I’m pretty sure every guy is going to buy into what he wants.’’

(Up next: NFL free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.)

Lions GM Brad Holmes will not overreact after playoff loss; does not feel walls closing in

He fully trusts Dan Campbell to hire coordinators who are good fits

Do not look for Lions GM Brad Holmes to make “crazy wholesale changes” after the disappointing loss to the Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs. He thinks all the pieces are in place moving forward.

“Obviously it sucks, it’s humbling, but no overreaction. There’s nothing else to do but get back to work,’’ Holmes said at his end-of-season press conference on Thursday.

The level-headed GM has routinely said he won’t be a prisoner of the moment and this moment is no different.

“We’ll assess and evolve like we always do every year, we’ll work to improve, but literally there is nothing else to do but get back to work,’’ Holmes said. “That’s what we’ve been saying since Day One, it’s all about the work and that’s what we’ll continue to do.’’

He thought the Lions, whose defense was decimated by a slew of injuries, were very close this season winning 15 games, the NFC North title and earning the No. 1 seed. He’s confident about success next season.

“Nothing is going to alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building. I did think we were very close, obviously felt very good about this season, but fell short. But we’re going to stay committed and stay committed to the process,’’ Holmes said.

He refuses to put a window – of sorts – on how many more years the Lions can contend for a Super Bowl.

“I understand that contrasts come up and stuff happens, but we feel so good about our young core and young nucleus of players and we feel really good about our quarterback (Jared Goff) and how he’s playing — him having an MVP caliber season this year,’’ Holmes said. “I think all the pieces are in place. I don’t feel walls closing in or a window. And, again, we make an effort to avoid those kind of things.’’

ONE MORE THING

Holmes said they were prepared to lose coordinators Ben Johnson (who signed as head coach with the Bears) and Aaron Glenn (who is headed to the Jets).

“I have so much respect for the unknown, you can’t know exactly what’s going to happen. Obviously we were prepared to lose those guys, those guys were great coaches. Call it what it is, we were lucky to have both of them this year,’’ Holmes said. “… I have the full faith and trust in Dan (Campbell) to make sure we’re going to have the right people in place in those spots.’’

Lions process fact that their season is over so abruptly after divisional loss

ALLEN PARK — Less than 24 hours after the heart-breaking, divisional round loss, 45-31, to the Commanders, the Lions were cleaning out their lockers and saying goodbye on Sunday. Lots of hugs. A few questions.

As the No. 1 seed the Lions expected to at least make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. Now they are going home, garbage bags of locker goodies thrown over their shoulders, like Santa.

Center Frank Ragnow said the process of dealing with the finality of it starts now.

“Try to channel it, use it whether it’s anger, sadness, whatever it is, try to use that as motivation into the offseason,’’ Ragnow said on Sunday.

He said coach Dan Campbell’s message to the team was along those lines. “Never forgetting that feeling of watching them celebrate across the field and listening to them in the locker room, just never forgetting that,” Ragnow said.

Defensive tackle Alim McNeill was hobbling through the locker room on crutches. He tore his ACL in the loss to the Bills on Dec. 15 and is recovering from surgery. He said he’s on pace but does not have any type of timeline for returning. He watched the game from home.

“It’s tough, definitely tough. Not what anybody expected this year. We put in a lot of work, we had a goal set for this year, things took a different turn and we’re kind of here and now,’’ McNeill said. “It happens, it’s definitely tough, kind of hard to swallow, nobody knows what to think about it really. It’s definitely tough.’’

It was a team loss with the defense unable to stop Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels and the offense unable to hold onto the ball. Teams with five turnovers rarely win a game.

Quarterback Jared Goff had a rough night throwing three interceptions. He was having trouble processing it immediately after the game.

“I think we all look within and that’s part of it, if you get to this level you’re always going to be looking at yourself before you’re pointing fingers and that’s what makes us as good as who we are,’’ Ragnow said. “That’s what makes (Goff) great. He’s going to feel it, it’s going to burn. But we all know everybody on this team had a hand in last night. We as a team just didn’t play well enough to win.’’

It’s all new to rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a sense of shock, it’s a sense of that team they outplayed us that night you have to get back to it and the only way to ease the pain is to get back to the drawing board,’’ Arnold said. “There’s always somebody who’s dealing with something way worse than a lost football game. I love the game of football, I put my life into it, I know my teammates do and I know we’ll be back.’’

No question the current locker room is loaded with young talent, but in the NFL rosters are fluid which may have made Saturday’s loss even harder.

“I would say the hardest part is just knowing the room will be different. Even in the locker room after the game we took time to say, ‘Guys really cherish this moment in the locker room because it’s going to be different,’’’ Arnold said. “That’s been the hardest thing of being in the NFL, normally in college you go back and see everybody. But the NFL is a business, people get better opportunities which I know they’ll take those, I’m happy they’ll take those. It’s hard because you get close to a person and then they leave.’’

Ragnow, who just finished his seventh season with the Lions, sees a bright future.

“One hundred percent. There’s so many talented dudes in this room, not only talented but the right mindset. Just the right wired guys that are willing to do whatever it takes for their teammates and put it on the line,’’ Ragnow said. “Again, I’m just so grateful to be a part of this locker room because there’s a lot of special dudes.’’

AND THIS: When cornerback Amik Robertson broke his arm early in Saturday’s game, teammate Terrion Arnold was right there on the field. “I thought it was kind of cool that when I was praying over him, Jayden (Daniels) came right there and we prayed over him together,” Arnold said. “It’s one of those things, it’s bigger than football.” Robertson was scheduled to have surgery on Sunday.