Lions News: Detroit teammates react to Jeff Okudah trade

By almost all accounts, former Detroit Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah was a well-liked, respected player in the team’s locker room. While Okudah was generally a pretty quiet guy focused on his job, his work ethic—as seen by his intense rehabilitation from an Achilles injury—was admired and respected by many of his peers.

So when news broke that Okudah is being traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a fifth-round pick, several of his teammates took to social media to react. The overwhelming reaction from Lions players was positive—wishing Okudah good luck in his fresh start in Atlanta.

There likely isn’t a single Lions player more impacted by this trade than fellow cornerback Jerry Jacobs. When Jacobs came to the team two years ago as an undrafted rookie, it was Okudah who took him under his wing.

“The first day I met him and the days we’ve been talking since, it’s just been love,” Jacobs said back in 2021. “I feel like he is my brother. He takes me home every day, and we just talk, we go eat. It’s just great being around Jeff. Jeff is a great dude, and a lot of people out there need to watch the season he’s finna to have this upcoming season.”

So how did Jacobs react to the news? He seemed quite excited about Okudah’s new opportunity:

And here’s Jacobs’ reaction from over on Instagram:

Here’s a sampling of the other reactions from Lions players, both past and present:

Here’s Bobby Price:

Former Lions safety DeShon Elliott:

Current Lions safety Kerby Joseph:

And, finally, current Lions defensive back Will Harris:

• Jameson Williams, notably, had a much different reaction to the news—trying to call dibs on Okudah’s No. 1 jersey number:

• Congratulations to NFL Films for their many Sports Emmy nominations, including one for Outstanding serialized documentary series for, of course, “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Detroit Lions.”

• Dave Birkett previewed the Detroit Lions’ local day, which took place on Tuesday. At the end of his article, he runs by all the NFL Draft prospects invited to the local day—all of whom have been added to our 2023 Detroit Lions draft visit tracker.

• Justin Rogers of the Detroit News has a nice overview of the many directions the Lions could take with the sixth overall pick.

• Really neat video here of former Lions safety Glover Quin breaking down nickel defense vs. base defense:

• Colton Pouncy of The Athletic takes a closer look at all the options the Lions have at quarterback, both in terms of immediate backup and long-term starter.