Detroit Lions mailbag: Is this playoff run real? And who could replace Lions' assistants?

The Detroit Lions are playing in the NFC championship game for the first time in 32 years — against the franchise they last won a road playoff game against 66 years ago.

It's been an amazing ride so far, historic for the franchise, and it's worth doing a playoff mailbag.

Is this real?? That’s the question — @MachielaJustin

Justin, you're not the only one pinching yourself to make sure you're not dreaming. I've heard from a lot of friends, fans and random people I bump into at the grocery store that they can't quite believe the Lions are here, one win away from the Super Bowl.

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It has been a long time coming for this franchise, and as optimistic as people were entering the season, I don't think many envisioned the Lions being 60 minutes of good football from heading to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles collapsed. The Dallas Cowboys can't win in the postseason. The Lions beat two solid teams with the help of their home crowd, and now they head to San Francisco to face the team most everyone has pegged as the best in the NFC all season.

The ringing in my ears from the past two weeks tells me, yes, this is for real. We're not all having the same dream. And I'll share one more thought a writer friend mentioned when were discussing the Lions last week. The topic of covering coaching searches vs. the playoffs came up, and how covering the playoffs (this is the Lions' fourth playoff appearance I've covered) is far more preferable to a coaching search (I've done four of them as well with the Lions). He said I might not ever have another coaching search in my time on the beat. That's wild to think about, and I share that to say whatever happens this year, if we are dreaming the dream isn't close to being done.

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Who r the 3 guys u would give big contracts too. Who are the 3 u would let walk away? — @DirtyJerzFinest

This is the type of problem good teams have to deal with, but the good news for the Lions is they aren't in a position yet where they have to worry about losing any of their core young players. The Lions do have some free-agent decisions to make this spring. C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Graham Glasgow, Jonah Jackson, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Josh Reynolds are probably their top five players on expiring contracts, but none of those players is in line for a bank-breaking deal.

Looking at their young nucleus, I would pay (and I think the Lions pay) Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown this offseason, and right tackle Penei Sewell next year. All three will command contracts at or near the top of the market for their positions. You can throw Aidan Hutchinson into that mix, too, as he's clearly in line for a massive payday down the road. In the case of both Sewell and Hutchinson, the Lions can try to get ahead of the market and do a deal after their third seasons, or wait until after Year 4 to delay the cash spend.

There is, of course, only so much money to go around in a salary cap world, so that leaves decisions to make on players like Alim McNeill, Josh Paschal and Kerby Joseph. McNeill would be the toughest of that group to lose the way things stand right now. He's eligible for an extension this offseason, and it's possible the Lions try to get one done before training camp. But the reality is, the Lions won't be able to afford everyone and the development of their current rookie class and the moves they make in the upcoming draft might provide some clues on their decisions ahead.

do you think there’s a realistic chance the Lions use the franchise tag on Jonah Jackson if we can’t get a long term deal done — @WafflesandSoles

I like Jonah Jackson a lot. He's one of my favorite players to talk to in the locker room and he's very good on the field. But I don't think he's a franchise tag candidate and I'm not sure where he fits into the Lions' future at this point.

Jackson has had an unfortunate run of bad luck with injuries. He missed five games in the regular season with ankle and wrist injuries, four last year after he caught a finger in a spider pad during practice and won't play Sunday against the 49ers after injuring his knee in last week's win vs. the Bucs.

It's possible the injuries will ding Jackson's market price enough that he returns to Detroit, but he's said there haven't been any real negotiations about a new contract and I think it's more likely at this point he plays somewhere else next year.

What do you think about targeting Mike Evans in the off season and how does it make sense without breaking the bank — @Khalfani2

Evans is a baller. He has 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons, played at a high level at 30 years old this season and is clearly respected by the Lions coaching staff. But I can't see him fitting into the Lions' salary structure this offseason.

The Lions already have one big receiver contract to do in St. Brown, and it's not the best use of resources to pay two receivers $20 million-plus annually, especially with the young talent the Lions have to account for in the future.

I've made this point before, but it's worth reiterating that cash spend is much more important than cap room when it comes to free agent signings and the reality is the Lions could be doling out a lot of money this offseason to Goff, St. Brown and others currently on the roster. Never say never when market forces are at work, but I wouldn't hold my breath on Evans being a Lion.

When we lose Ben and Ag who do they take and who replaces them? Will it be external or internal — @R82Nest

The Lions certainly have in-house candidates to consider when it comes to their offensive and defensive coordinator spots, if Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn get jobs elsewhere, but the jobs are good enough that Dan Campbell would be doing a disservice if he didn't at least consider outsiders for the jobs.

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Kelvin Sheppard is tracking towards a DC role and I suspect he's next in line if Glenn leaves. He's well respected in the locker room and has the leadership traits for the job. It's less clear-cut on offense. Would Scottie Montgomery prefer to call plays or have the assistant head coach role? I'm not sure the answer to that, and I don't know if there's enough time to do both. Tanner Engstrand is the pass game coordinator; could he make the leap to OC?

Campbell is a strong believer in cultivating talent, so I think he'd lean towards promoting from within. He said last week he started preparing to replace both coordinators a year ago, which lines up with moves the Lions made to promote or hire Sheppard, Montgomery and Engstrand. There's always the possibility, too, that Campbell takes over offensive play-calling like he did after he demoted Anthony Lynn in 2021.

Outside of Glenn and Johnson could any of the Lions staff be on the move somewhere else? — @BigA54

It's a general rule of thumb that when an assistant coach leaves for a head coaching job, they get to take one assistant with them. That doesn't always happen, and Campbell doesn't want his staff gutted, especially if it happens late in the hiring cycle when fewer capable replacements are available.

Lions offensive coordinator Hank Fraley is one assistant whose name has been mentioned frequently as someone who could join Johnson's staff. Fraley likely would get a promotion to offensive coordinator if he goes, though Johnson likely would retain play-calling duties as head coach.

If Glenn doesn't get a job, Sheppard is someone who might garner defensive coordinator interviews elsewhere, though it would seem less likely he leaves the longer the Lions stay alive in the playoffs.

Can they teach Ertz, Brock Wrights one play by Sunday? — @chessmanaaj

Great line, and what an important play it was. Wright went for 29 yards on a key third down conversion last week, on a play that was basically the same one he caught a long touchdown pass on against the New York Jets last year.

I wouldn't expect new Lions tight end Zach Ertz to play much this week, but it's worth noting he did play for Lions tight ends coach Steve Heiden with the Arizona Cardinals, and he did catch three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in his first game with the Cardinals about nine days after he was traded from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

Have you booked your trip to LV yet? — @crowlick

Parts of it, yes. But in the interest of full disclosure, I will be in Las Vegas to cover Super Bowl week regardless if the Lions are there or not.

Will the Lions (and thousands of Lions fans) be joining me? We should know by 9:30 p.m. or so on Sunday.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions mailbag: The dream isn't close to being done