The Detroit Lions have their eyes on the ultimate prize in the 2024 season after getting a taste of playoff success this season.

The Lions came excruciatingly short of reaching their first Super Bowl ever, crumbling in the second half vs. the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game, and will now spend the next eight months figuring out a way to return to that point and get over the hump before the 2024 season kicks off in September.

The Lions had one of the best seasons in franchise history in 2023. They won a franchise-record 14 games, which included back-to-back playoff victories for the first time since 1957, won their division for the first time since 1993 and advanced in the postseason for the first time since 1991. Despite the success, pain is going to linger for coaches and players because of the final chapter.

The magic of the 2023 season will be hard to replicate, but the outlook remains bright for the foreseeable future. They have a coach and GM duo in Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes they trust, and a roster full of young talent from Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Sam LaPorta on offense to Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch defensively—all players drafted under the three-year regime. Most of their key players from this season are under contract next year, including six of the seven players who received Pro Bowl honors this season, plus quarterback Jared Goff, who is expected to sign an extension in the offseason.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell celebrates a touchdown scored by running back Jahmyr Gibbs during the first half of the NFC championship game vs. the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
The first offseason domino to drop was welcome news: offensive coordinator Ben Johnson pulled his name out of the running for head coaching jobs with Washington and Seattle to try to win a Super Bowl in Detroit.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was scheduled to interview with Washington for Commanders’ vacancy, but Washington opted to hire Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on Thursday. Assuming Glenn’s return, the main parts of the coaching staff will be the same for the third straight season.

I’M NOT LEAVING:Ben Johnson makes the Lions early offseason winners. ‘One of the best offensive minds’

Here are the frequently asked questions for the Lions this offseason, with an eye towards cap space and NFL free agency:

When does the new league year start for the NFL in 2024?
The new league year officially begins March 13 at 4 p.m., when free agency and trading begins. Negotiations between teams and agents of pending unrestricted free agents can begin on March 11 at noon, but official deals cannot be signed until two days later.

Detroit Lions 2024 free agents
NFL rosters never look the same year to year, and that will be true for the Lions, even with most of the key contributors returning. Dozens of Lions players will be free agents this offseason, including starters on both sides of the ball. Here are some of the key players whose contracts expire—find the full list. Age listed as of Dec. 1, 2024:

Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes stands on the sidelines before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 22, 2023.
The base salary cap for the 2024 NFL season is $242 million, according to OverTheCap, and the adjusted salary cap will be $246 million, according to Spotrac. The Lions currently have $183.5 million in active contracts and $1.4 million in dead money, bringing their total cash spending to $184.9 million for 2024. The Lions will have an estimated $61 million in cap space, the seventh-most in the NFL, according to Spotrac. OverTheCap projects the Lions will have $45.2 million in effective cap space, which is a projection of the team’s cap space after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to the roster.