Why The Detroit Lions Championship Window Is Still Open

In the wake of the Detroit Lions' surprising loss in the NFL Playoffs, plenty of talking heads - and some fans - have gravitated toward the idea that the Lions' proverbial "Championship Window" is closing quickly, if it hasn't closed altogether already.

This idea, to me, seems to push this concept that the Lions are a lucky organization that didn't belong here in the first place. As if years of work to build a front office, coaching staff and roster of incredibly talented individuals can't be replicated in any capacity for little reason beyond: "We're talking about the Lions here."

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Yes, the Lions squandered its best regular season in franchise history. Additionally, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is now the head coach of the rival Chicago Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will likely be announced as the new head coach of either the New York Jets or New Orleans Saints by the end of the week. Almost assuredly, some talent will be lost in free agency as well.

But last I checked, Dan Campbell is still the head coach and Brad Holmes is still the general manager. Those two men built the staff that the rest of the NFL is currently poaching. They built the roster that in many ways is the envy of the majority of the league.

Keep in mind the star players on this team - Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and every significant draft pick since 2021 such as Aidan Hutchinson and Jahmyr Gibbs - are under contract for the next few years.

There's an old saying in college football about the "Jimmy's and the Joe's, not the X's and O's." The cliche doesn't directly translate to the NFL, but the process in the NFL does begin with the Jimmy's and the Joe's.

Sure, Campbell has to rebuild the top of his coaching staff. But it's not as though the bulk of the NFL fanbase - or passive-viewing talking heads - knew who he was before he was named the OC in 2022. Aaron Glenn's name carries its own weight as a former player in the league, but even his job was in question two years ago when the Lions were struggling defensively.

While it's certainly possible that the next duo of coordinators won't be as good as the last, a few things are for certain: those coaches will have a wealth of talent to instruct and the likelihood of the same scale of injuries impacting the Lions this season will happen again.

The Lions will be just fine. They have the pieces in place to continue to exist at the top of the NFL landscape. They have to replace a few pieces of the puzzle, but between Campbell and Holmes, they already resurrected this franchise from total obscurity. Why should anyone doubt they can't keep their ship afloat under these circumstances?