With latest piece of the core locked up, Detroit Lions continue to extend window for long-term success

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Allen Park — In a league structured around parity, it isn’t easy to persist on either fringe.

For far too long, the Detroit Lions resided in poverty. Arguably, they were the NFL’s poster child for it. From the time the salary cap was introduced in 1994, the franchise went nearly three decades without a division title or playoff victory. Their 292 losses during that stretch were the most of any team, and only the relaunched version of the Cleveland Browns had a worse winning percentage.

While Detroit rolled around in the gutter, there have been several franchises able to largely stay atop the standings. That list is led by the New England Patriots. Despite a recent trip to the cellar, they spent the better part of two decades dominating the NFL, appearing in nine Super Bowls and winning six between 2001 and 2019.

Presently, it’s the Kansas Chiefs who are perennial championship contenders. They’re working on an 11th straight playoff appearance, 10th consecutive division title, while chasing a fourth ring in seven years.

And while they haven’t had the Super Bowl success as those two teams, the annual standard in Green Bay and Pittsburgh is a playoff berth, at minimum. They’re the only two franchises outside of New England to win 300 games since the implementation of the cap.

Alternatively, there are the flash in the pans. The Panthers, Bengals and Falcons have all appeared in a Super Bowl, but have lacked staying power. This is what the Lions are trying to avoid. Going from the basement to the penthouse isn’t enough. They’re chasing the standard of excellence of the league’s bluebloods.

The four-year extension awarded to Aidan Hutchinson on Wednesday is the latest move toward achieving long-elusive sustainable success.

Obviously, everything starts with the quarterback. For the Patriots, it was Tom Brady. The Chiefs’ ascent has been tied to Patrick Mahomes. In Green Bay, it was transitioning from one Hall of Famer to another with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger is a tick shy of that collective, but he was consistently boosted by one of the league’s better defenses.

Detroit has Jared Goff. He’s not Brady, Mahomes or Rodgers. He’s more in the Roethlisberger tier, with less mobility but pocket efficiency reminiscent of another future Hall of Famer, Drew Brees, in recent seasons.

Of course, it’s never one player, even a great QB. Ask Dan Marino, Jim Kelly or Philip Rivers, or currently Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow.

The Lions don’t just have Goff. They have an All-Pro offensive tackle in Penei Sewell, an All-Pro receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, a Pro Bowl tight end and running back, two star safeties, and Hutchinson, who is probably going to win a Defensive Player of the Year award or three after an injury likely robbed him of his first last year.

Most of the league is envious of Detroit’s star power. And, critically, the team keeps finding ways to lock those players up, often ahead of the curve, giving them the financial flexibility to build a competitive roster around that foundation of stars.

The Hutchinson contract ties him to the Lions until 2030, the first player we can say that about. Sewell, Joseph and Jameson Williams have deals that go until 2029. Goff, St. Brown and Alim McNeill, 2028.

Of course, NFL contracts are fluid. Nothing guarantees any of those players will see the last year or two of their respective deals. Still, the point is that the Lions are drafting and developing studs, then retaining their services through their primes. A rock-solid foundation has been laid and fortified by the team’s front office, led by general manager Brad Holmes.

As long as Goff continues to thrive, and there’s little reason to think he doesn’t have at least five more years of peak productivity remaining, based on other top pocket processors like Brees and Brady, the Lions’ window of Super Bowl contention has the potential to be open for an eternity, at least by NFL standards.

Not since the 1950s have the Lions been poised to enjoy a prolonged golden era like the one they appear to be in the heart of now. Throw in a Super Bowl somewhere along the way and all the suffering that led to this point might even have been worth it.