Detroit Lions players flood social media with hope, optimism for 2023

For the past week, Detroit Lions players have been getting back to life without football. For some like Penei Sewell, it’s about adjusting to being a first-time dad. For others, it’s likely just a small break before getting back to work.

No matter what their situation is, there has been a common theme among their social media posts over the past week: I can’t wait for next year.

The Lions finished the season on an 8-2 run. Only the San Francisco 49ers (9-0), Kansas City Chiefs (9-1), and Buffalo Bills (8-0) had better records since Week 9, and only those same three teams had a higher DVOA than Detroit since Week 11.

So the optimism certainly seems warranted. The Lions may have just barely missed out on the postseason, but they were playing like a top-five team in the second half of the season, and given their youthful roster, there’s no reason to believe they can’t pick up where they left off in 2023.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best social media posts from Lions players reflecting on the season that was and looking ahead to the 2023 season.

Let’s start with the Lions’ rookie class, one of the best in the NFL this year:

Aidan Hutchinson

Josh Paschal

Kerby Joseph

Malcolm Rodriguez

James Houston

Now let’s check in on the rest of the team. First, Jared Goff offers his thanks to his teammates and fans, while giving a nod to Jamaal Williams’ Week 18 post-game interview with the hashtag #itsalldog

Jerry Jacobs had a tumultuous year returning from a torn ACL and eventually earning a starting job.

Taylor Decker, who has been very vulnerable and vocal about this year, kept it simple this time around:

Josh Woods has developed into a leader and special teams ace this season.

Tracy Walker sadly had to watch most of the season from the sidelines after tearing his Achilles, but he was still proud to see how the team finished and is excited about the future:

Amon-Ra St. Brown’s post-season Instagram post will have you ready to run through a wall. Here’s the caption:

I don’t believe in moral victories… but I know this team is trending in the right direction. The culture is changing for the better in Detroit & I’m just grateful to be apart of it.

I had the time of my life playing for my teammates, my coaches, this city, and the best fans in this league. This is just the start. I promise

‘Till next year #313

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The pending free agents

Let’s look at some of the free-agents-to-be, and what they thought about their time in Detroit.

DJ Chark

John Cominsky

We already talked about Cominsky’s social media post, but in case you missed it:

Jamaal Williams

Isaiah Buggs

Alex Anzalone

Dan Skipper

DeShon Elliott

DeShon Elliott had a crazy year, too. He went from getting benched early in the season to being a critical part of the secondary. Coming from a winning organization like the Ravens, you may think he’d be disappointed with how things finished. Just the opposite:

He also had something to say about the controversy in the Rams vs. Seahawks game that kicked the Lions out of the playoffs:

Finally, there’s linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard: