Sunday open thread: Which current Lions player will stay with Detroit the longest?

This could finally be the year that the Detroit Lions completely turn the page from their dreaded 2008 season. Only Dan Orlovsky and Don Muhlbach remain from that winless team, and the Lions already have the presumed successors to both players on their roster in Jake Rudock and Jimmy Landes, respectively.

But let’s flash forward another nine years. It’s 2026, and the Lions are coming off their presumed fourth-straight Super Bowl title. Looking at this future roster, you probably won’t see many, if any, familiar faces. So today’s Question of the Day is:

Which current Detroit Lions player do you think will stay with the team the longest?

My answer: This is a tricky question for a few reasons. The Lions’ most talented players are also starting to get up there in age. In nine years, Ezekiel Ansah will be 36, Matthew Stafford and Golden Tate will be 37.

The Lions also have a bunch of young promising players, but their true talent has yet to be realized, and it’s therefore tough to gauge how long their football careers will be. Taylor Decker’s career is young, but he already has the look of a franchise left tackle. A’Shawn Robinson could also stick around for awhile, presuming he isn’t already secretly 35 years old.

Still, the future of this team is in Stafford’s hands. The Lions’ franchise quarterback will sign a hefty contract this year, locking him up in Detroit for the next 4-5 years. If Detroit continues to compete over that time, the Lions will likely offer him another contract after that. Playing into you deep thirties is rare in football, but for franchise quarterbacks it’s actually kind of common. Drew Brees is currently 38, Tom Brady is 39, Peyton Manning retired at 39. Hell, Carson Palmer made it to 37 and is still playing.

I don’t know if Stafford will make it in the NFL until 37, but if he does, he’ll likely be the last remaining player from this current Lions roster still playing in Detroit in 2026.

Your turn.