The Detroit Lions have a few major decisions on their hands entering the 2025 offseason.

The Lions have 31 pending free agents from the roster that went 15-2 in 2024 to win the NFC North and earn the top playoff seed in the conference. On top of the players who can test the market, the Lions can also offer contract extensions to players they drafted in 2022.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes addressed numerous topics and looked to the future Thursday morning in his season-ending news conference in Allen Park.

The Lions have a couple of starters set to become free agents, with right guard Kevin Zeitler and starting outside cornerback Carlton Davis III. Both joined the team last offseason as finishing pieces to a roster primarily built through the draft, but both missed the season-ending playoff loss Saturday due to injury.

The Lions can also offer contract extensions to players from the 2022 draft including first-round picks defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and wide receiver Jameson Williams and third-round pick Kerby Joseph, who earned an All-Pro honor in 2024.

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“I just think we just stay the course and just keep building like we’ve been,” Holmes said about how to get over the hump in 2025, after falling short of the team’s first Super Bowl appearance. “I do think that we are very close. Obviously, I thought we were very close this year, but nothing’s going to kind of alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building.”

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With one of the best rosters in the NFL, the Lions dominated the regular season before being upset by the Washington Commanders in the divisional round. However, after losing five starters and a dozen depth pieces to injuries, the Lions could not overcome what Holmes described as “attrition” on defense. The Lions had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, but could not overcome five turnovers in the playoff loss.

“There’s literally nothing else to do but pick yourself up and get back to work,” Holmes said.

The work for the Lions front office begins with filling out the coaching staff. The Lions have to replace both coordinators after Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn took head coaching jobs and defensive line coach Terrell Williams left to become a defensive coordinator. After that, the Lions will have to make decisions on extensions for current players, who to keep in free agency and any potential additions from outside of the roster.

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The Lions said they are early in their process in terms of extending players like Hutchinson and Joseph and are early in that process. Last year, the Lions extended right tackle Penei Sewell, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown the week of the 2024 draft and extended quarterback Jared Goff in May.

“We are working through all of that,” Holmes said about Hutchinson. “Again, it’s not always in our control. We might have our plans and processes but, it takes two people to get something done. So, that’s not a negative comment, you just don’t know what that player and the camp and all of that stuff is thinking. So we haven’t gotten to those intense dialogues yet, that’s the only thing.”

Joseph was named one of the two first-team All-Pro safeties after leading the NFL with nine interceptions. Holmes said conversations about a Joseph extension is “on the docket” of offseason duties.

The Lions have the ninth-most effective cap space in 2025 at $46.8 million, according to OverTheCap, but sit in the bottom-five in available space for 2026 due to previous extensions handed out.

“That’s on the docket in terms of to be looked at and discussed,” Holmes said. “We know where he’s at from an eligibility. Look, he’s an All-Pro player. … He’s another one that’s gotten better and better. So he’s one that proven he’s a Detroit Lion, he fits our culture. It’s hard to find ball-hawk guys that tackle like him and I think that’s what makes him unique. Again, we haven’t had any intense dialogue about that yet, but obviously we want to keep him.”

Zeitler, who turns 35 in March, joined the Lions on a one-year deal in free agency last year from the Baltimore Ravens. He slid into the line in between two All-Pros, center Frank Ragnow and Sewell, and became a key cog in the Lions’ strong offensive line after going through some growing pains transitioning from blocking for Lamar Jackson to Jared Goff and the Lions’ power running scheme.

“A player of that age, you just got to have conversations with him,” Holmes said. “We had conversations on exit day and then we’ll just continue to have dialogue and kind of see.”

Holmes said Davis, who he traded for last offseason to start at cornerback next to rookie Terrion Arnold, had one of the best seasons of his career in Detroit and is “aware” of his pending free agency. Holmes gave a blanket statement about other pending free agents, including players like defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike and linebacker Derrick Barnes, saying they have not moved to action yet.

“We’re aware of not only just Carlton, Zeitler, but we’re aware of a lot of other guys that are either on expiring contracts that have good contributions to our team this year or guys that are worthy for an extension or in consideration for extension,” Holmes said. “And so, no intense action yet but we are very aware of it.”