The 2025 NFL free agency is almost here, leaving the Detroit Lions a week to decide what to do with their pending free agents. General manager Brad Holmes will have his hands full in the coming days as 29 Lions players are slated to hit the open market on March 12, according to Spotrac.
Although there’s still time for Holmes to re-sign veterans for depth, one pending free agent likely won’t be back following the latest rumors from the Motor City.
Lions Unlikely to Re-Sign K Michael Badgley Despite Positive Injury News
On Tuesday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported that “the Lions recently cleared veteran kicker Michael Badgley from the groin injury that sidelined him for all of last season.” The fact that Pelissero emphasized Badgley being “an impending free agent” suggests that he likely won’t be back in Detroit next season.
The #Lions recently cleared veteran kicker Michael Badgley from the groin injury that sidelined him for all of last season, per source.
Badgley, 29, has made a full recovery and is an impending free agent. pic.twitter.com/AxZT3aYdDe
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 4, 2025
Badgley, 29, has been with the Lions since joining their practice squad halfway through the 2022 season. The former Miami Hurricanes special teamer found instant success in Detroit, nailing all 33 of his extra-point attempts while going 20-of-24 (83.3%) on field-goal tries across 12 games.
The Lions acquired fellow K Riley Patterson from the Jacksonville Jaguars during the following offseason, pushing Badgley back to the practice squad. The Summit, NJ native’s PS stint didn’t last long, though, as Patterson’s season-long struggles force Detroit to elevate Badgley in December 2023, resulting in an 86.7 XP% (13-of-15) and 100.0 FG% (4-of-4).
Badgley’s future with the Lions looked bright until it didn’t. After being re-signed last offseason, the veteran kicker suffered a torn hamstring during pre-practice warm-ups last July, forcing him to miss the entire year.
With Jake Bates serving as the team’s primary kicker going forward, the Lions no longer have a use for Badgley’s services. Having said that, the latter’s experience (64 games played in six seasons) will likely be enough to draw a fair bit of offseason attention, even if it’s only as a training camp invite to compete for a job.
More clarity regarding Badgley’s future and potential destinations could be known after the NFL free agent tampering window opens on Monday.
