Football
The Detroit Lions front office could garner a significant amount of outside attention.
According to Sports Illustrated NFL reporter Albert Breer, the Atlanta Falcons have formally put in a request to interview Lions Chief Operating Officer Mike Disner for their President of Football Operations Role.
A statement released by Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank explained, “We will be adding a new president of football from outside the organization. The leader in this new role will set the vision and identity for our team. Our new head coach and general manager will report to the new president of football, and they will work collaboratively as a football leadership team on all football decisions. Final decision-making authority will rest with the president of football.
“This leader will also work in collaboration with the club’s president and CEO to ensure the team’s football and business operations are appropriately aligned with unified organizational goals to deliver success on the field and in all areas of engaging Falcons fans. The new president of football will report directly to me. We plan to move quickly on this hire so the new president of football can be fully involved in the selection of our new leaders in the head coach and general manager roles.”
The Falcons have put in a request to interview Lions COO Mike Disner for their president of football operations role, sources said. Disner has been integral working alongside GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell on Detroit’s rebuild.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 6, 2026
Offensive lineman signed to futures deal
On Tuesday afternoon, the team announced center Seth McLaughlin was signed to a futures contract.
It is uncertain if Tate Ratledge will play next season at right guard or at center.
Detroit’s front office likely wanted additional depth at the position, given the struggles of Graham Glasgow and Kingsley Eguakun.
McLaughlin spent his last collegiate season at Ohio State in 2024. He played four years (’20-23) playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Collegiately, he played in 46 career games with 35 starts at the center position. In 2024, the 6’4, 305-pound lineman started the first 10 games for the Buckeyes, before suffering a season-ending injury.
In November of 2024, he ruptured his Achilles tendon in practice and missed the remainder of that season. Despite the injury, he still earned first-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten honors.
In May of 2025, McLaughlin signed with the Cincinnai Bengals as an undrafted free agent.
He was waived after training camp as part of final roster cuts, but re-signed to the practice squad the following day. He spent the entire 2025 season rehabbing and developing on their practice squad.
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