The Detroit Lions offseason is mostly complete, but the final move that the team needs to make might be the hardest. Extending Brian Branch is something the Lions have to consider and should accomplish this offseason, according to ESPN analyst Aaron Schatz.
Schatz mentions that the team already extended Jack Campbell and picked up the fifth-year option on Jahmyr Gibbs. Their next two decisions will be extending Sam LaPorta and Branch.
“Both Branch and LaPorta are set to become free agents at the end of this season,” wrote Schatz. “The worst scenario is probably getting to the 2027 offseason and having to decide how to sign both Branch and LaPorta while also extending Gibbs.”
LaPorta might get complicated due to the dollar figures, but he is going to show up to training camp healthy, and a deal is expected to get done. The real question is what the team will do with Branch.
The Detroit Lions Have a Complicated Brian Branch Decision
GettyDetroit Lions safety Brian Branch is due a contract extension this offseason.
The easy thought is that the team should extend him. He is a three-year starter and a versatile piece on the back end of the defense. He finished fifth in rookie of the year voting in 2023 and made the Pro Bowl in 2024.
However, his 2025 season complicates things. Branch started 12 games, but tore his Achilles in Week 12. That is typically an injury that will take a year to get back on the field, and it might take more for him to be back to his old playing ways.
So, the Lions might want to extend him based on the past three seasons of performance. However, this year and the future are much murkier. They could end up giving out a deal that they instantly regret.
The team will have a hard time finding a middle ground where they feel protected from injury, and he feels secure in the long term.
Lions Must Find a Market Value for Brian Branch
Another tough question the team must deal with is how much they would pay him due to his positional value. Branch has played both the slot and safety, and depending on if he is viewed as a cornerback or safety could determine how high his ceiling is salary-wise.
Alontae Taylor is primarily a slot cornerback. He signed a three-year, $58M deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Marlon Humphrey mostly plays in the slot and makes $19.5M per year. Meanwhile, only four safeties clear the salary of Taylor.
Budda Baker and Xavier McKinney make less on the AAV scale than Taylor. The ability to play cornerback comes with more value.
Branch is primarily a safety. However, the Lions are known for not using a slot cornerback and pushing Branch into that spot.
He has 2,601 snaps played. Of them, 1,089 were in the slot. At his age, with his versatility and potential, he is going to be seeking a deal worth more than $20M per year. The Lions will see that as him getting to the top of his position. Beyond that, he will be making that as he potentially misses the entire first year of the deal. The team knows that before signing him.
However, if they do not extend him before the year, things could get even murkier as other teams begin to bid for him. This will be a question that lingers over the team in training camp.
Lions’ Toughest Offseason Decision Still Looms