NFL teams raided the Detroit Lions’ coaching staff as soon as their playoff run in 2024 ended. Could a raid on Detroit’s top pending free agents come next?
The Lions are likely to face competition, particularly with former coordinators Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears) and Aaron Glenn (New York Jets) landing head coaching jobs this hiring cycle. Glenn may be looking to sign breakout star Levi Onwuzurike, for example, as a key component of his rebuilding roster in East Rutherford.
Mason Cameron of PFF recently named a wild-card team to land Onwuzurike, predicting that the Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars will sign the former No. 42 overall pick in March.
Onwuzurike is the penetrating three-technique interior pass-rusher that every team wants. And, given how ineffective the Jaguars’ interior pass rush was in 2024, ranking dead last in pass-rush win rate by defensive tackles (8.9%), he will almost certainly be a target for new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s defense. Combining Onwuzurike’s 12%-plus pass rush win rate over the last two seasons with the already productive duo of Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker would undoubtedly turn heads in the AFC South.
Javon Kinlaw’s tenure in New York was brief (he became an unrestricted free agent this offseason), and the Jets must now look elsewhere for interior pressure. With Aaron Glenn leading this defense into the future and the team’s limited cap space, the Jets could be looking for a more cost-effective option in Onwuzurike, whom Glenn is very familiar with after coaching him last season in Detroit.
While the Jets make obvious sense as a landing spot with Glenn at the helm, the Jaguars are an intriguing addition.
Onwuzurike would be leaving a Super Bowl contender in Detroit to take on a questionable situation in Jacksonville that borders on a complete rebuild. Liam Coen is the Jaguars’ first head coach, and Grant Udinski and Anthony Campanile are their first offensive and defensive coordinators.
If the Jaguars are serious about poaching Onwuzurike from Detroit, it will require a sizable contract offer, likely in the range of three years and $42 million. The Lions recently extended DT Alim McNeill’s contract, so a competitive offer like this could seal the deal.
Jacksonville has limited cap space for 2025, and Coen is an offensive-minded coach. However, if the Jaguars want to quickly improve one of the NFL’s worst defenses, this is the type of signing they will be looking for.