Lions' Barnes driven to rebound after falling short of expectations: 'I feel like I took a step back last year'
Allen Park — Derrick Barnes expected more from himself.
His defensive coordinator, Kelvin Sheppard, had gone to bat for Barnes last offseason, telling general manager Brad Holmes the organization needed to re-sign the linebacker.
“That’s a player I have to have,” Sheppard told Holmes.
So despite Barnes coming off a serious knee injury, which sidelined him the final 14 games of the 2024 season, the Lions rewarded him with a three-year, $24 million extension for the developmental strides he had made through four seasons and the belief there were even brighter days ahead.
If we take the stat sheet at face value, Barnes delivered his most productive season to date in 2025. He set career-highs for snaps, sacks, quarterback pressures, tackles for loss and pass breakups. He also recorded his first regular season interception and first since picking off Baker Mayfield to seal Detroit’s playoff victory over Tampa Bay in 2024.
The 4.0 sacks doubled Barnes’ output from the previous four seasons combined. But that was far below the double-digit goal he had set from himself, wanting to validate Detroit’s renewed investment in him.
That wasn’t the only area where Barnes felt he fell short of expectations, and combined with the team missing the playoffs after two straight division titles, it left the linebacker wondering if he did enough to maximize his potential.