The Detroit Lions are set to report to training camp this weekend, and the organization will be hoping their players can avoid the kind of behavior that saw them fined $200,000 last summer.
In 2024, quarterback Jared Goff and co. stormed to a league-best 15-2 record and topped the NFC North, which is arguably the toughest division in the NFL.
Detroit were also the most exciting team to watch last season, and blew away their opponents with an offense that often dominated and put up 40 or more points in six separate regular-season games.
It’s fair to say the Lions wouldn’t have hit those dizzying heights on any given Sunday without carrying the same kind of intensity onto the practice field.
But last August, as the team were gearing up for the 2024 season, they made headlines in training camp for all the wrong reasons.
Lions players clashed with the New York Giants during joint sessions, and multiple fights broke out between the two clubs.
Two days of practice were littered with brawls, including one big skirmish that started with New York wide receiver Malik Nabers and Detroit safety Kerby Joseph.
Then-rookie Nabers began swinging with Joseph late in the August 6 workout, and the incident led to both teams running onto the field, pushing and shoving each other.
Players scuffled again during kickoff drills just minutes after that, and the session was cut short because of the issues.
Reports at the time suggested the first day of joint practices between the Lions and Giants had eight or so scuffles.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell called the session a ‘spirited practice’ and admitted that some had turned it into a football Royal Rumble.
“We got a couple guys who go rogue and do some things and start something,” he said.
“But, honestly, not a big deal. A lot of it was guys breaking stuff up.”
The fights continued into day two, and the NFL later confirmed that the Lions and Giants had both been fined $200,000.
In a July memo, the league had previously reminded all teams that fighting and unprofessional conduct at joint practices would not be tolerated.
This time around, ahead of the 2025 season, the Lions and Giants will be kept away from each other on the practice field.
Detroit will host the Miami Dolphins in Allen Park, Michigan, for joint practice on August 13.
They will then host the Houston Texans eight days later.
The Giants, meanwhile, will make a short, 30-mile trip across New Jersey on August 12 to train with the New York Jets in Florham Park, before hosting their neighbors in East Rutherford.
As well as hoping to avoid any practice field fights in 2025, Detroit will be looking to bounce back from a shock loss to the Washington Commanders that ended their playoff run in the Divisional Round.
Despite being the NFC’s top seed, the team that had Super Bowl ambitions were derailed by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, leaving head coach Campbell emotional.
But even after the departure of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson — who is now head coach of the Chicago Bears — there is real expectation that the Lions can go further in 2025.
The team are among the betting favorites to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026, with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles the only NFC team with shorter odds to make the big game.
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