What Will Sheila Hamp Do If Detroit Lions Miss Playoffs in 2026?
Examining what happens if the Detroit Lions do not have success in 2026.
Video Transcript
But I agree, I understand the fans' frustration.
I also think it's gonna be interesting, and you tell me how this is gonna work.
So Sheila Ford Hamp comes out the other day and says 9 and 8 is not good enough, right ?
Then you dig a little deeper and you say, OK, are the Lions a guarantee to make the postseason?
The answer is probably no in this division.
Are they the best of the division?
They have the best win-loss total, but are they the best in the NFC North?
Are they better than the Bears?
Are they better than the Vikings?
Are they better than the Green Bay Packers?
I don't know.
So I guess my question is, if they miss again.
And I'm not saying they will, but if they miss again, then what do you do with Brad and Dan?
Because Sheila already came out and said 9 and 8 is not good enough.
And then add this to the crux.
They both have contracts that expire in 2027.
So, if you miss the playoffs, and I'm not saying they're going to, I'm just setting up a scenario here.
You missed two years in a row.
Then They're lame ducks for the 3rd year, because you're not gonna give them an extension, but then you saw how that worked out with Patricia and Quinn, where they were given 1 more year, and they made all the wrong choices for now, instead of for the future of the organization.
So, while I do think things are still healthy, and you figure out the offensive line, I think they're gonna have great success.
People talk about the week's schedule.
I think they're gonna make the postseason, I do.
But if they don't, what's gonna happen?
Because it's gonna get real interesting with the contractual status of both Dan and Brad and the owner coming out and saying, listen, dude, 9 and 8 is not good enough.
Our standards are way above that.
What do you think happens?
Yeah, no, you know the Lions, Jeff, because we all think rationally.
What happens is they don't make the playoffs.
You still go, you know what, Dan is one of the best coaches we've ever had.
We like the process.
You give him another 2 years.
They just do it because of the fact that, uh, they reward past success and, and maybe disregard a little bit of what the future.
Could look like now me personally, knowing how I am, I just would say be a lame duck.
Uh, now it's a it's you put out there, you stand up, you stand up in front of the people and you say Dan and Brad must get a, a to a spot where we need to be.
And, and, but hold on, if you do that though, if you do that, you are running the risk of what happened with Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn because, because, because Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell will do what's right for them to preserve their job as a.
Opposed to maybe what's right for the future.
So I don't know that that works out.
And again, this is a scenario that hopefully doesn't even play their way out, right?
Hopefully they make the playoffs and they're back and everybody's happy.
But, but just some of the stuff I've been thinking about.
Yeah, no, to your point though, you look at it, they paid so many guys that there's only so much that they can do in regards to, yeah, maybe they would maybe take, uh, uh, maybe not take the next best quarterback, which could hurt you long term.
But at the same token, you have a team that has a core that many people think for the next 34 years.
As a window.
So I think that with the schedule that they got, they're set up this year, potentially, but you see a team like the Rams who are making clearly the push, and they have a better quarterback.
They have a better defensive line than you do.
So the Lions have to do some work still and have to, I think, go outside their comfort zone at the trade deadline and keep adding to this football team .
And I think that's where we will see what moves are made when the time is right.
But yeah, the schedule, I think the Lions are gonna be schedule merchants.
They'll have a chance to get to the postseason, and Dan will get, Dan and Brad will get 2 more years.
And it'll be a moot point.
But if they don't, I do think that, you know, you still, for the Lions team, these two, running the Lions are benefiting from the fact the Lions' history has been terrible, you know, 4 or 5 consecutive winning seasons, they were gonna benefit on some way of having a, and they're just quite popular.
I just think that even if you were to say, hey, Dan Campbell might not might not be the guy, you're gonna face a, a, a feverish fan base that wants to pay $400 a ticket to watch that team with that coach.
