DETROIT — The final week of the season is here and it could be the end of an era in some ways.

There are players who spent years with this organization — here for the losses, here for the turnaround, here for the heartbreak of the NFC Championship and the letdown of an 8-8 season to date — who could be playing their final game in Detroit.

It’s worth talking about now, as their futures are sorted out in the coming months.

Left tackle Taylor Decker

The longest-tenured player on the team, Decker has been a mainstay in Detroit since he was a first-round pick in 2016. It’s not easy for a Buckeye to endear himself to this fan base, but Decker did it through above-average play for a decade at one of the hardest positions in the NFL. He has more in him if he continues to play, but will he?

Decker has openly pondered retirement this season. He knows he doesn’t have many years left, and after seeing his friend and former teammate Frank Ragnow hang it up, it’s easy to see his mind go there. He’s battled through various injuries this season — most notably a shoulder injury that limited him in practice all year — and he’ll be 33 when next season starts. In a perfect world, Decker gives the Lions one more year and helps develop his eventual successor. If not, though, this could be his final game as a Lion.

“I’ve said all along, whatever my future may hold, I don’t want to make that decision now because I don’t want to make it emotionally,” Decker said Wednesday. “And I want to give this last game of our season the attention it deserves. I don’t want it to be about me. It’s never been about me. The game is what it is — like the NFL will move on whenever I decide to be done playing football.”

Alex Anzalone is second on the team this season with 95 tackles and has been a mainstay since signing with the Lions in 2021. (Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)

LB Alex Anzalone

A five-year captain and one of the most respected players in the locker room, Anzalone has been here from the very beginning. If this is his final game with the Lions — up in the air after he suffered a concussion against the Vikings — he should be remembered for his role in getting this thing off the ground and establishing the culture in Detroit.

That said, Anzalone is 31 and should aim to cash in while he can. He said he’d like to retire a Lion and wasn’t shy expressing his frustrations about the lack of an extension this summer, but the team wasn’t willing to go there with him. He’s set to test the market and could be too expensive for the Lions. This could be it for him — if he even plays. Anzalone is still in concussion protocol.

DT DJ Reader

When the Lions signed Reader in free agency two years ago, he was viewed as a strong addition to the defensive line as a run-stuffing nose tackle. His presence allowed Alim McNeill to come into his own as a three-technique during the 2024 season, while Reader handled the dirty work. If you expected more raw pass-rush productivity from Reader, you might be disappointed by his production. But from what he was asked to do in the structure of the defense, Reader proved to be a solid fit whose work often went unnoticed. This season hasn’t been his best, though.

Reader, 31, is set to enter free agency again, and if Detroit’s 2025 NFL Draft is any indication, this could be it for him in Detroit. The Lions selected nose tackle Tyleik Williams in the first round in April. He represents the future at the position and should pair well long-term with McNeill.

C Graham Glasgow

It’s starting to feel like the end of Glasgow’s time in Detroit — and maybe in the NFL. He’s entering the final year of his contract in 2026, but the Lions should be looking to upgrade a position that’s undoubtedly important to the offense’s structure. They already started that process, getting a look at Kingsley Eguakun before he signed with the Browns for the final week of the season. Center will need to be a priority for the Lions this year.

The team allowed too much quick interior pressure and couldn’t run the ball effectively in the second half of the season. Glasgow will be 34 when the season starts. If he still wants to play, it’ll probably be elsewhere.

Edge Al-Quadin Muhammad

It’s been a career year for Muhammad. He’s recorded 11 sacks, 52 pressures and a pass-rush win rate of 15.9 percent. The fact that the Lions signed him for just $1.5 million makes him one of the best free-agent additions of the offseason. Saying he outplayed his contract is like saying grass is green. However, Muhammad’s future in Detroit is TBD.

When the Lions signed Muhammad, they did so thinking he’d be a pass-rush specialist off the bench. Marcus Davenport was supposed to be the starter opposite Aidan Hutchinson, but, as is typical with Davenport, he landed on injured reserve and missed nine games. Muhammad was the biggest beneficiary and proved capable of providing a spark in the pass-rush department. However, he was phased out of certain game plans — likely due to run defense. It’ll be interesting to see his market. He’ll be 31 in March and has only a year of production like this. That could limit things for him, and perhaps pave the way for a return. But if there are doubts about him in the run game, they might need to look elsewhere.

DB Amik Robertson

Robertson has given the Lions everything he has. An undersized DB out of Louisiana Tech, Robertson has scratched and clawed his way into a starting role. The Lions signed him two years ago to be the team’s nickel, and he’s become a mainstay since. However, Robertson’s play has declined a bit. He’s allowed a passer rating of 115.9 when targeted in man coverage this season. Perhaps the Lions and Robertson can agree to a deal that works for both parties. We’ll see.

Edge Marcus Davenport

Another year, another injury-riddled season for Davenport. It’s beyond time for this marriage to end. It hasn’t worked out for two seasons now, and even when Davenport was healthy, he looked like a shell of his former self. He fits the prototype of what they like opposite Hutchinson — a big, powerful edge-setter — but he can’t be counted on to be that guy. Not again.

RB David Montgomery

Montgomery signed a two-year extension last year, but the Lions clearly favor Jahmyr Gibbs as their lead back going forward. It’s no longer a 1-2 punch here, which will naturally cause questions about Montgomery’s future. His usage has gone down drastically since the 2024 season. He had fewer than 10 carries in just five games between the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He has eight such games in 2025 alone. Moving on from Montgomery might create more problems than answers, but it’s worth mentioning with some looming decisions ahead.