Dan Campbell paints a bleak future scenario for the Detroit Lions. Is he overdoing it with his pessimistic assessment or is the head coach just a realist? A classification

The euphoria in Detroit was huge.

Ford Field at home reported a sell-out, even though the championship game had taken place far away in San Francisco.

Thousands of Lions fans gathered in their stadium to watch the action from California on giant screens.

The disappointment in Motor City is all the greater now that the team only just missed out on a place in the Super Bowl.

Head coach Dan Campbell is so disappointed that he believes his team has little chance of making it to the biggest game in American football in the future.

“I told the guys that might have been our only chance,” Campbell told the assembled press after the frustrating 31:34 defeat against the San Francisco 49ers.

He himself still believed he had a chance, he said. But he also admitted: “I know how hard it is to even get this far. And it will be twice as hard next year as it was this year. “

Amon-Ra St. Brown plays a decisive role in the Lions’ rise

Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t sound like that at first. “We’re hungry, we’ll be ready,” said the German-American, who has played a decisive role in his team’s rise from unsuccessful laughing stock to serious Super Bowl contender over the past three years.

But the wide receiver is also aware that “next season will probably be more difficult” than the current one: “The teams will be ready for us.”

The team from Michigan will certainly not be underestimated in the coming season. That’s one of the Lions’ problems. Another could be of their own making.

Because the contracts of more than half of the players are expiring. Starting in March, they can negotiate new contracts as free agents. This includes stars such as safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, wide receiver Josh Reynolds and guard Graham Glasgow.

Can the Lions keep the core of the team?

It could be difficult to keep the core of the team together, even if the contracts of St. Brown and quarterback Jared Goff (both until 2025) are still valid for the coming season.

“We have a lot of good players and the right coaches to be back here next year,” said St. Brown. But the question will be which of the players who have led the Lions back to a championship game for the first time in 32 years will still be in Detroit next season.

“I told those guys – this may have been our only shot… it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year.” – Dan Campbell pic.twitter.com/MSjT1CmH02

– NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) January 29, 2024

The fact that the team may have a different face in late summer than it does today could also be due to the Lions’ cap space. It is at least 60 million dollars, making it the seventh largest in the NFL.

It could be filled with new contracts for the players who are already there. But new stars could also be lured with corresponding offers.

Looking at the record of the past three years, the Lions can at least be cautiously optimistic when it comes to trade activity. After all, general manager Brad Holmes and coach Campbell haven’t done that much wrong in that period. After all, St. Brown and Goff, among others, were brought to Detroit.

But success is also known to be attractive. Which brings us to the coaches. While Campbell will continue to call the shots on the sidelines in the coming season, his most important assistants should be viewed with more skepticism.

After all, two teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders, are still looking for a new head coach. In the nation’s capital, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn have been considered for the job of new head coach.

At least Johnson has now probably turned down the Commanders to stay in Detroit.

In addition to all the personnel and sporting aspects, the mental side of such a bitter setback should not be underestimated.

Probably the saddest example of this came from a team that is not so far removed from Detroit, at least by American standards.

In January 2015, the Green Bay Packers thought they had reached the Super Bowl after leading 16:0 at the break in the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks – and then lost 22:28 in overtime.

Since then, the team has never reached the Super Bowl in the era of star quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Whether Coach Campbell was also thinking of his neighbors from Wisconsin when he made his admonishing words is pure speculation.

What is certain, however, is that there is a lot of realism in his very pessimistic assessment.