Lions Swoop In, Snag a Playmaker the Vikings Were Considering
The Vikings, quite possibly, had decided to move on. After all, the depth job at tight end has been filled by Nick Vannett.
The playmaker still ended up in the NFC North after the Vikings visit, deciding to find an opportunity in Michigan. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 offered the update: “#Lions signed tight end Steven Stilianos @XFLBrahmas Sportsman of the Year nominee and former Titans rookie free agent.”
Lions Swoop In for TE Signing
Safe to say that the Detroit Lions remain the team to beat.
Coming off a 15-2 season, Dan Campbell’s crew has proven to be a juggernaut. Things may change a bit since Ben Johnson has been hired away and so has Aaron Glenn. Does Detroit still achieve the same level of dominance without the OC and DC in town to help guide the ship? Certainly helps to have Campbell sticking around as the HC (which is to say nothing of a roster that’s loaded).
In Detroit, the top tight end option for the foreseeable future is Sam LaPorta, someone who has proven to be an excellent player.
The soon-to-be third-year player is coming off a strong sophomore season, one that involved jumping into action for sixteen games. LaPorta’s 83 targets resulted in 60 catches, 726 yards, and 7 touchdowns. A bit down from his rookie season, but a strong cluster of stats. Keep in mind that he’s merely one mouth to feed from within a Lions den where receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown feasts alongside running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Meanwhile, the Vikings are being led at tight end by a former Lion: T.J. Hockenson.
The pass catcher is coming off a season where he missed roughly half of the year due to an ACL recovery. When he’s on, Hockenson is neck-and-neck with LaPorta as a top-five option at the position in the NFL. Where Minnesota gains an edge is at TE2 since Josh Oliver is in the house, someone who is undaunted by the difficult blocks he’s asked to make.
Within the tight end context among the pair of teams, Steven Stilianos became a Lions roster addition.
Back in 2024, Stilianos jumped into the NFL after agreeing to an UDFA contract with the Tennessee Titans. The guaranteed cash was sitting at just $12,500, so it doesn’t appear as though there was a post-draft feeding frenzy to acquire his services.
In college, Stilianos put in work at Iowa. As a senior, the new Lions tight end got involved in thirteen games. He caught 8 passes for 96 scoreless yards. Sam LaPorta, in all likelihood, isn’t going to see his TE1 job threatened. Rather, it’s Detroit’s fringe roster players — the ones looking to sneak onto the team due to specials — who will face the greatest threat from Stilianos.
The Vikings and Lions will battle a pair of times in the 2025 season. Initially, there is going to be a November 2nd game at Ford Field. The two teams will meet again on December 25th — better known as Christmas Day — inside of U.S. Bank Stadium.
Steven Stilianos, quite possibly, could be helping his Lions to push for the victory on each occasion.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, Sports Reference CFB, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
