Getty John Cominsky on the field for the Lions in a 2022 preseason game.
The Detroit Lions knew they couldn’t afford to lose a player like John Cominsky who made their entire defense better, so bringing him back one one of their first moves in 2023.
Cominsky was signed last offseason to a flier contract. Essentially, the one-year prove it deal was no risk for the team, but lots of opportunity for the player. Cominsky made the most of that opportunity in plenty of ways, and he officially returned on Wednesday, March 15.
More than his play, though, Cominsky’s grinder mindset may have won the team over most. The defensive lineman has a strong work ethic and constantly works hard off the field to ensure his successes on the field.
Anybody who needed any more proof of that can simply take a look at the message Cominsky is bringing back to the Lions upon his return. He wore a shirt with a special saying while meeting with the media on Wednesday, March 15.
As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press showed in a tweet, Cominsky’s shirt read “one year of focus and hustle can change your life forever.”
John Cominsky wearing a T-shirt to his news conference to announce his new deal that says, “1 year of focus and hustle can change your life forever.” Said his agent gave him the shirt a year ago t.co/l1x17fL6WC via @freep
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard provided the video of Cominsky’s explanation, and it was a pretty touching moment.
“John Cominsky wearing a T-shirt to his news conference to announce his new deal that says, “1 year of focus and hustle can change your life forever.” Said his agent gave him the shirt a year ago,” Birkett tweeted.
In terms of the explanation about why he wore the shirt, as Cominsky said, it was a gift from his agent which proves that there are no shortcuts, and anybody can change their life with the right amount of dedication.
#Lions’ John Cominsky wears a shirt after signing his new 2-year deal that says: “1 year of focus and hustle can change your life forever.” He explains his motivation.
“My agent gave me this shirt about a year ago today. It was a mindset thing. I like that I put it on, and I felt a little extra edge when I was working out, little extra edge when I was walking around. I said ‘I need about 10 more of those so I can wear them all year long.’ Here we are full-circle. I’m signing contracts that will change my life and it’s true. I hope it’s a testimony to anyone that they can just put their head down for 365 days and know their life can change,” Cominsky said as shown in Woodyard’s tweet.
Cominsky’s life did change as a result of the hard work he put in, and it’s a good message to the Lions as they get set to tackle the 2023 offseason and spring workouts in a few months time.
Hard work is always going to be part of the story for Cominsky, and his tribute the day he signed a new deal is a testament to the success of that.
John Cominsky Hypes Lions Culture
Why did Cominsky come back to the Lions? As he explained, there was never anywhere else he wanted to be when free agency got going, and there was a good reason why.
As the defender sees it, Detroit’s culture is second to none in the NFL at this very moment in time. It’s something they have worked hard to build, and it’s paid off as Cominsky sees it.
It’s a culture thing.
“It’s a culture thing. It’s a cliche thing, but until you’re in this building you really don’t understand the family dynamic that exists here. I think it’s the furthest thing from business you get in the NFL. That family-oriented feel, truth, everything’s up front. No shade anywhere. You come in, you know what you’re going to get. Everyone’s on the same playing field. Coaches make you feel like they’re no better than you. Everybody’s on the same line, here to win. It’s a great feeling to come in and not have that pressure, you can come in and be yourself. It’s a culture thing,” Cominsky said to the media.
The strong culture was a huge selling point for Cominsky, and it’s been that way since the Lions hired Dan Campbell and started over back in 2021. From the start, culture was the biggest buzzword for the team. Clearly, Campbell and the Lions are succeeding from where Cominsky sits.
John Cominsky Embodies Lions Culture
Hearing this upon Cominsky’s return, it’s nice to see that the Lions have rewarded one of their hardest working players with a new deal.
Since coming to the team, Cominsky has worked hard and managed to show himself as a very capable and important player on the field.
Statistically, Cominsky enjoyed his best season in the NFL with Detroit, posting 30 total tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble and three passes defended. Energy-wise, he continued to show his strength to the roster and the defense throughout the year. Constantly, he collapsed the pocket up front and been responsible on the edge.
2019 4th round pick from Charleston and May 31 waiver claim for Detroit. What kind of contract has ‘23 FA John Cominsky earned?
More than the stats, though, Cominsky’s mindset has helped set a bedrock for the Lions and their future. For that, the team has to be thankful that they brought him into the mix and watched him grow over the past year.