Why 2025 Super Bowl Must Feature Detroit Lions against Houston Texans

Two teams had different approach to free agency this offseason.

Detroit Lions against Houston Texans / Kirthmon F. Dozier via Imagn Content

I just need to see it.

The answers to a growing debate lie in a Super Bowl 59 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans.

This offseason, the Lions continued their approach of targeting players who meet the exact criteria the front office and coaching has decided will be deployed when targeting external free agents.

Detroit did not target high-priced, big-name free agents that several fans would have raved about.

Holmes and Co. did not feel trading draft capital and giving Kansas City Chiefs cornerback L'Jarius Sneed a long-term contract was in the best interests of the organization.

Houston, meanwhile, just traded for Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Texans general manager Nick Caserio has clearly pushed the chips into the middle of the table, with the hopes of capitalizing on a successful 2023 season.

Notably, Houston also signed veteran defensive linemen Danielle Hunter, Denico Autry and traded for running back Joe Mixon in free agency.

Two opposing views are clearly on display.

A Super Bowl matchup would answer which general manager made the right decisions in free agency and help to settle if drafting and developing is the best strategy to win or is going "all-in" the right approach when the opportunity presents itself.

Holmes has remained steadfast in his belief that his method is one that will reward Lions' fans with a Lombardi Trophy and will sustain success over a long period of time.

.@DetroitPodcast shared his thoughts on the difference between the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions regarding their Free Agency approach. #OnePride

How long is the Detroit #Lions window for success open for? pic.twitter.com/4NGfsow0pW

— Crunch Time with Jeff Iafrate & Booner (@officialctpod) April 4, 2024

“Just feel really good. And, you know, our number one choices, that’s our number one choices. There’s 31 other teams, 31 other boards. Our number one choices are probably not those other number one choices," Holmes told Fox 2 at the annual league meetings. "But it’s for our palate, and those were our number one choices.

Holmes continued, "I have a lot of faith and conviction in our process because we go through every single scenario. We go through the, man, ‘Do we add just this one $30 million player?’ We go through that scenario. We look at that and we go, ‘That’s just not gonna make sense for us for right now and the future.’ So we go through all of it and the best scenario for us and the players that we truly wanted, being able to get it, but it surely came from the preparation process.”

Admittedly, I am jealous of the Texans and their free agency approach.

It is not to say the Texans will automatically get past all the powerhouses in the AFC and be handed a Super Bowl win.

But other teams, like the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, have used free agency and trade deadline deals to upgrade their rosters ahead of strong playoff pushes and Super Bowl wins.

Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt, but 2024 will be a crucial litmus test for an organization that just appeared in the NFC Championship game.

“It’s the best player for us. It’s kind of what I was saying about the free agency. Yeah, we were able to get our plan A’s for us. We will get the best player for us, and that’s what’s so great about the draft, it’s 31 other teams," said Holmes. "The best player for us may not be the best player for those other teams.

"But if you look at it from a behavioral economics standpoint, if you’re shopping for some wine, the most expensive bottle of wine may not be the best tasting wine for your palate. You know? What’s the best tasting wine for our palate? That’s how we operate. We don’t really care what anybody else thinks. That’s how we operate and we’re gonna continue to go.”

The two teams have taken different approaches, but eventually could wind up competing against each other for the ultimate prize.

A matchup in the regular season could garner added attention or be slotted in primetime, as both figure to have winning records by the time they square off against each other in Houston.

While the Texans have won the offseason and garnered a lot of positive headlines, Detroit could have their opportunity to cement their legacy by capping off their rebuild with a Super Bowl win over the emerging AFC squad.

Though they are taking different avenues, the Lions and Texans are hopefully on a collision course to next year's Super Bowl.