Detroit Lions Mailbag: Do the Lions plan to part ways with Kerby Joseph before his contract is over?
Answering big Lions questions during the bye week
It’s the bye week for the Detroit Lions, but not for Detroit Lions questions. Let’s answer them.
Did the Lions structure Kerby Joseph’s deal to get out of it early?
I don’t think Kerby Joseph is going anywhere ever. He’s a pretty good “Lion for life” candidate. Now, I get what you’re saying here, Tony, about how his deal is structured.
All the dead cap looks to be pushed to the front of his deal. The reason they did that is to have low cap hits up front in 2025 and 2026. Even 2027 isn’t that bad at $9 million and change.
This gives them a better chance of getting the rest of their 2023 guys signed to deals in the near future. They also have a big move they can make with a restructure of Jared Goff’s contract, which could open up $40 million. I get the notion of seeing lower dead cap hits and thinking that means the Lions are giving themselves an out, but in this case, it’s just good structuring. Don’t worry, Joseph isn’t going anywhere.
Could the Lions be looking to trade for Ifeatu Melifonwu?
No, I think that ship has sailed. The Lions seem to like what they have with Thomas Harper, and they should. He had a good game Monday night. On top of that, they’ve wanted Jammie Robinson for a while, and now they finally have him. They’re pretty set at safety. Now, if Melifonwu were to be released or something, it wouldn’t shock me if they grabbed him. I don’t think that’s happening, though.
On to the second part of the question. Let’s rank some dudes.
- Bradley Chubb -The Dolphins should be sellers
- Will McDonald IV -The Jets are looking for picks
- Kayvon Thibodeaux -I think the Giants are a win away from pulling everyone off the trade block
- Quinnen Williams – I don’t get why the Lions would make this deal with their already really good interior
- Cam Jordan -I think he’d probably just retire if the Saints traded him
- Trey Hendrickson – It’s not happening
- Maxx Crosby – The Raiders have already told him and teams inquiring that it’s not happening
- Carl Granderson – His past is why it’s not happening
Where is Jamo?
I know people want to read into things because it’s so much more fun to be a conspiracy theorist, but the Lions aren’t purposely using him as a decoy. They’re not purposely not throwing his way, and his Instagram posts aren’t him being upset that his target share is down.
What’s happening is so much simpler than that. Teams are actively trying to take away explosive plays from the Lions, and the best way to do that is to take away the deep ball. We did a full film study on how the Bengals doubled and at times tripled Williams a couple of weeks ago. This is what teams are doing.
The good thing is that it’s backfiring because, while the Lions like explosives, they don’t completely rely on them. The attention Williams gets opens up opportunities for Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta in the intermediate areas. Those guys are good at yards after catch. Williams will get his targets once teams realize that this doesn’t work.
Any updates on Ahmed Hassanien?
Nothing from the team at the moment. I recently spoke with a source who said that his rehab was going really well, though, and that he was itching to get back on the field. That’s all we know at this time, outside of Lions GM Brad Holmes declaring that Hassanien would play this season in his post-camp presser.
Who from the Legion of Whom is staying on the roster?
Which of the “unknown” DBs from yesterday will stay on the roster once Keeby, Branch, and Terrion come back?
— professor58.bsky.social (@professor58.bsky.social) October 21, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Pretty much all of these guys are sticking around. Especially Arthur Maulet, Nick Whiteside, and Thomas Harper. These guys showed a lot against the Bucs, and the Lions were to let Whiteside or Harper go; they’re getting claimed at this point.
Teams love young projects that have shown big flashes of potential. Tre Flowers will head back to the practice squad.
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