By Blessing 
Lions Part Ways With WR Antoine Green Days After Draft Shake-Up
After bolstering their receiving corps in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions made a surprising move by cutting ties with a young wideout from last year’s draft class.
The team announced on April 29 that they released wide receiver Antoine Green, citing an injury. It’s an unfortunate turn for the 25-year-old, who had been battling to earn his place in a competitive receiver room.
A Tough Break for Green
Green joined the Lions in 2023 as a seventh-round pick and played in nine games during his rookie year. Most of his action came on special teams, and he logged just a single reception for two yards on offense.
However, his momentum hit a wall in the preseason leading up to the 2024 campaign. Green suffered a concussion in the first preseason game — an injury that, according to USA Today’s Lions Wire reporter Jimmy Liao, dramatically shifted the course of his career.
“Unfortunately, an injury in the 2024 preseason significantly altered his career,” Liao wrote. “In the first preseason game, Green suffered a reported concussion and was waived with an injury designation just four days later. The waiver was a surprise as most concussions can return-to-play within 2 weeks. For example, Hendon Hooker had a concussion in that same game and returned to play nine days later.”
Green never returned to the field in 2024. Still, he remained part of the Lions’ plans heading into 2025, signing a futures contract and aiming for a backup spot or practice squad role. Unfortunately, that opportunity has now slipped away.
A Crowded Receiver Room
Green’s departure came right after the Lions brought in fresh talent at wide receiver in the draft. Detroit used a third-round pick to select Arkansas standout Isaac TeSlaa and also picked up Georgia’s Dominic Lovett in the seventh round. Beyond that, the team added two undrafted free agents: Jackson Meeks from Syracuse and Jakobie Keeney-James out of UMass.
TeSlaa, in particular, made a big impression on Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who revealed the team moved up significantly in the draft to grab him — trading from pick No. 102 to No. 70.
“I do love all of them,” Holmes said about the receiver picks, per The Detroit News. “I’ll give you this, though: The pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa. I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft. I’m not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft. But favorite wide receiver in the draft? Yes.”
Holmes also praised TeSlaa’s physicality, which caught the team’s eye at the Senior Bowl.
“Just saw how he was in the run game in the team periods,” he said. “Just his blocking and his size and he was just being a pest, and he was pissing off the DBs and defenders.”
As Detroit prepares for the upcoming season, the wide receiver competition is heating up — but for Antoine Green, the search for his next NFL opportunity has already begun.