NFL teams raided the Detroit Lions’ coaching staff as soon as their playoff run in 2024 concluded. 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) getting head coaching jobs this hiring cycle. Glenn may be aiming to sign breakout player Levi Onwuzurike, for example, as a major component of his rebuilding roster in East Rutherford.
Mason Cameron of PFF recently identified a wild-card team to land Onwuzurike, projecting that the Jets or Jacksonville Jaguars will sign the former No. 42 overall pick in March.
While the Jets make obvious sense as a landing point with Glenn at the helm, include the Jaguars here is intriguing.
Onwuzurike would be leaving a Super Bowl contender in Detroit to take on a problematic position 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 big contract offer, potentially in the range of three years and $42 million. The Lions recently extended DT Alim McNeill’s contract, so a competitive offer like this might seal the deal.
Jacksonville has limited cap room for 2025, and Coen is an offensive-minded coach. However, if the Jaguars want to quickly improve one of the NFL’s poorest defenses, this is the type of addition they will be searching for.
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