Recapping what was said by and about the Detroit Lions leading up to the Super Bowl

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Propelled by the NFL incorporating the Pro Bowl into last week’s Super Bowl festivities, there was several tidbits of Detroit Lions news that came from the overlap.

Between six Lions participating in the Pro Bowl, and a couple more hitting radio row at the Super Bowl on promotional blitzes, there are fresh quotes from quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.

Instead of piecemealing those quotes throughout the week, I decided to round them up at the conclusion of the week, recap and react.

Shout out to Detroit Free Press reporter Dave Birkett as the source for many of these quotes. He traveled to San Francisco for the week, and executing a strategy he began several years back, he secured a table on radio row, letting the interview opportunities come to him. Incredibly smart and efficient.

QB1 on his new OC

Predictably, the hottest topic was the team’s recent hiring of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

All of the Lions' offensive players who talked last week said they had heard from Petzing, with the coach individually phoning each for a brief introduction. But it’s clear the communication between the coordinator and his quarterback was more expansive.

Goff said he did some digging on Petzing before they talked and got favorable feedback from his connections around the league.

"In particular, quarterbacks who have played for him were glowing,” Goff told the Detroit Free Press. “I think the thing that excites me the most is going to be his versatility. He’s not tied to an offense. We’re going to kind of run what we’re best at and what we should be doing, which, some of the stuff we’ve done the last few years, that’s worked.

“…And then I think he’s got the right personality and demeanor and teaching ability, and most importantly, his intelligence and mental dexterity, for lack of a better word, to be able to kind of handle not only the complexities of what we’re going to try to do, but, like, getting the ball to guys," Goff said. "That’s the hardest part of our offense. We’ve got so many mouths to feed and being able to spread it around in an efficient way.”

Goff specifically noted that he talked to Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who praised Petzing’s schematic versatility and the ability to marry the run and pass games together, particularly through Goff’s bread-and-butter usage of play-action.

“It’s such a perfect fit for us,” Goff said.

The phrasing from Goff that stood out was “mental dexterity.” If you’ve been listening to the podcast this offseason, something I brought up multiple times was Goff’s desire to be pushed mentally.

The reason he worked so well with Ben Johnson is they saw and processed the game the same way. You get an immediate sense that Goff feels he can recapture that connection with Petzing.

Mending fences

A non-Pro Bowler who was in town, promoting his partnership with Scouting America, was Montgomery. He joined Chris Simms’ podcast.

In the interview, Montgomery acknowledged he’d heard from Petzing, and it sounded like a positive first step toward mending a bridge with the veteran after he was unintentionally phased out of the offense for stretches last season.

“He was very intentional on what message he was getting across,” Montgomery said. “He wanted to ensure me, to let me know that he wants me to be a part of it. Yeah, I’m excited to see what’s next and see what kind of happens now.”

One thing remains clear, Montgomery continues to have a strong relationship with Gibbs. Montgomery rejected the premise of a question from the hosts when asked about the difficulty of dealing with a talented teammate stealing carries.

“I wouldn’t say dealing with it and I wouldn’t say stealing,” Montgomery said. “I would say you’re on a team where you get the luxury of having two guys like that. And I’m a competitor just like anybody else who’s playing at a high level in a professional sport.

“Everybody wants to play, and everybody wants to be involved,” Montgomery said. “But the good thing about this thing is I’m an incredible teammate, and I’ll do whatever it is that I need to do to ensure that my team is going in the right direction. But I also want to be a part of that also.”

And, as if there was any doubt, Gibbs is hopeful the team’s backfield pairing stays together through next season.

“Of course I want David back,” Gibbs told the Free Press. “The whole team would want David back, but it’s ultimately up to him. He’s going to do what’s best for him and his family and whatever he decides to do I’m going to support 100%. But of course we want him back, though.”

Time to eat

Birkett also caught up with McBride at the Pro Bowl, the Cardinals All-Pro tight end who set the single-season record for the position with 125 receptions last season while playing under Petzing.

When news of the hire broke, McBride immediately reached out to his counterpart in Detroit, Sam LaPorta.

“I texted him right away,” McBride said. “I was like, ‘Man, you’re going to love it. You’re going to eat, you’re going to have a great career.’ I’m excited for him.”

“…He’s going to thrive,” McBride said. “I’m like, ‘You’re going to love it.’ I had a great couple years under Drew and I think Sam will do the same. He’s a tremendous player, a great tight end and have nothing but respect for him, too.”

LaPorta will be working his way back from season-ending surgery to address a herniated disc. Prior to suffering the injury, he was on pace to threaten his own franchise records for receptions and receiving yards for a tight end, marks he set during his rookie season in 2023.

Daring to dream

With outstanding edge rusher Maxx Crosby reportedly wanting out of Las Vegas, and the defender on record saying he’d love to play for the Lions if not the Raider, Kay Adams was thrilled to playfully ask both Hutchinson and St. Brown if they could imagine Detroit finding a way to land the superstar.

“I was actually looking that up on the way over here because I was hearing some rumblings about it,” Hutchinson said, talking about the social media buzz. “I don’t know. In the event that it did happen, that would be so dangerous. Me and Maxx have a great relationship. I’d love to play with him.

“We see each other every now and then, we will DM every now and then, and we both have a lot of respect for each other’s games,” Hutchinson said, clarifying the relationship. “(Is) the likelihood of him coming to Detroit is high? No, just given the amount of guys that they have to pay in the building. In a dream world though, it sounds really good and it sounds right, which I’m all for.”

Of course, that’s the biggest hurdle. Not only would it take serious draft equity to land Crosby in a trade — probably something similar to the two first-round picks and solid starter Green Bay ponied up for Micah Parsons last year — but the Lions would have to find room for Crosby's $30 million cap hit the next two seasons while already over the cap and hopeful to sign several of their young stars due for extensions, including Gibbs and LaPorta.

“I mean, I don’t know how you stop him and Aidan, each on one side,” St. Brown said. “It would be so lit, I feel like. I can’t think of a duo like Aidan and Maxx, if they were on the same team. But like I said, that’s neither here nor there.”

Tip of the cap

Talking to NBC Sports, Eagles All-Pro cornerback Cooper DeJean explained why he found St. Brown one of the most difficult receivers he’s had to cover.

“Obviously, I knew he was good, but how strong he is, like running routes and at the catch point, definitely surprised me a little bit,” DeJean said. “I think I’m a strong guy, but going up against him and the way he runs his routes and how physical he is, him and Puka (Nacua), both those guys (are among the toughest to cover).”

Appearing on the same podcast later in the week, St. Brown was asked what he thought about DeJean’s comments. Detroit’s three-time All-Pro deflected the praise to the wealth of talented receivers around the league.

“I feel like every one does stuff differently, so just honored that he would say something like that,” St. Brown said. “I feel like, like I said, there’s so many receivers in this league that are, to me, that are elite, that can do stuff at a high level, so I think the league is in good hands with the type of receivers we’ve got nowadays.”

Contract structure scared off CDIII

Before signing cornerback DJ Reed last offseason, the Lions made a run at re-signing Carlton Davis. However, the veteran didn’t like the way the team’s offer was structured, so he opted to sign with the Patriots instead.

“It was just the terms of the deal, which …I’m just going to keep undisclosed,” Davis told the Free Press. “It was like the language inside of it that I wasn’t really fond of. So that was really it, for sure.”

Both Davis and Reed signed for three years, with Davis getting more per season, guaranteed and a larger signing bonus. Most importantly, Davis got a lot more up front in his deal, earning nearly $40 million through the first two seasons, compared to Reed netting just under $32 million.

There are no hard feelings on Davis’ end.

“I love Detroit,” he said. “Before the season started, I was rooting for those guys as far as like them making it back to the playoffs. I still got a lot of close relationships with the team,” Davis said. “Even like how it went with free agency with us and Brad and Dan, it was like a straight-up process. It wasn’t no bullshit around it. It was good conversation, good communication, so I got nothing bad to say about them.”

QB hypes pending staff addition

Obviously, the hiring of an offensive coordinator is the bigger headline, but the Lions are also expecting to bring on former Giants coordinator and interim head coach Mike Kafka, assuming he doesn’t land one of the few coordinator openings still available around the league.

Giants backup quarterback Jameis Winston, who threw for 366 yards and caught a touchdown pass in a matchup against the Lions this past season, offered glowing feedback about what Detroit will be getting in Kafka.

“Mike Kafka is the man,” Winston told the free press. “His ability to create exciting plays and concepts is going to be very beneficial for Jared Goff.”

“…He played the game,” Winston said. “When you’re bringing in a coach that played the game, I think he’ll be able to bring back what Ben Johnson had left there, the hunger, the intentionality and will to win.”

Near reconnect

Former Lions safety Quandre Diggs was at the Super Bowl as part of the Seahawks practice squad. He landed back with the franchise where he had his best years after he was granted his release from the Tennessee Titans in late November.

Around that time, the Lions were in need of safety help, with Kerby Joseph sidelined by an injury and Brian Branch suffering a torn ACL in early December. According to Diggs, the Lions reached out about a reunion with the team that drafted him, but it wasn’t the right fit for the veteran.

“Those fans, the organization, I love them,” Diggs told the Free Press. “I’ve been there numerous times to play and it’s been nothing but love, nothing but the crowd still cheering for me and enjoying who I am as a person. So I’m forever thankful. I’m forever thankful for the opportunity that I had to go there, and it’ll be a place that (will) always have a special place in my heart, and I’m sure guys will see me at games when I retire.”