The Detroit Lions will, sadly, not be competing in Super Bowl LX on Sunday. When rooting for a team that entered the season as Super Bowl contenders but walked away not making the playoffs, it can be tough for Lions fans to find reasons to watch the big game.
One thing Lions fans can be on the lookout for is former Lions who made it to Super Bowl LX with either the New England Patriots or the Seattle Seahawks. Depending on the player and their history with the Lions, it can make it easier to decide which team to root for (or root against). Lions fans will have five players to keep an eye out for during Super Bowl LX.
CB Carlton Davis (Patriots)
Cornerback Carlton Davis of the Patriots spent just one season with the Lions in 2024. Davis, along with two sixth-round picks, was acquired by the Lions from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in exchange for a third-round pick, who would later be wide receiver Jalen McMillan.
Davis previously won Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers, so the Lions hoped that veteran experience could help lead the team there themselves.
Davis played 13 games for the Lions, hauling in two interceptions and recovering two fumbles. However, Davis battled numerous injuries, including a quadriceps injury and a fractured jaw. Davis did not play in the Lions’ Divisional round loss against the Washington Commanders.
Davis would go on to sign a three-year, $60 million deal with the Patriots. Davis started all 17 games for the Patriots and their stellar defense. While he did not intercept a pass during the regular season, he would intercept two C.J. Stroud passes in the Patriots’ 28-16 victory over the Houston Texans.
LB Jahlani Tavai (Patriots)
It can be bittersweet seeing a failed Lions draft pick find success with another team. Similar to former Lions linebacker Kyle Van Noy, Jahlani Tavai will get his chance to win a Super Bowl with the Patriots.
General Manager Bob Quinn and the Lions drafted Tavai in the second round of the 2019 draft. He would play two seasons with the Lions before being a preseason roster cut in 2021. Tavai played 31 games for the Lions, starting 16 of them, and totaled 116 tackles, seven for loss, along with 2.0 sacks and an interception.
After his release, Tavai reunited with former head coach Matt Patricia in New England, initially on their practice squad. Tavai has since played 76 games for the Patriots and started 51 of them, as well as a much higher percentage of snaps on special teams compared to his time with the Lions. In 2023 and 2024, Tavai started 16 of the Patriots’ 17 games in each of those seasons.
Tavai missed a chunk of the 2025 season with an undisclosed injury before returning in early October. Tavai has since started seven of 12 games, as well as the playoff game against the Texans. In the playoffs, Tavai has seven tackles in 98 snaps across both defense and special teams.
QB Joshua Dobbs (Patriots)
If anyone was wondering where “the Passtronaut” has landed in the 2025 season, look no further than the Patriots. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs currently serves as the backup to MVP-contender Drake Maye. Given Maye’s current injury scares leading up to Super Bowl LX, it’s within the realm of possibility that fans could see Dobbs take some snaps.
Dobbs never played an official game for the Lions after signing with the team’s practice squad late in the 2022 season. His time in Detroit was short-lived, as just over two weeks later, the Tennessee Titans would sign him off the Lions’ practice squad, where he started two games.
Dobbs made a name for himself in 2023, initially as the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals, before a desperate Minnesota Vikings team traded for him after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles. Dobbs got off to a hot two-game start, leading the Vikings to consecutive wins. Dobbs’ season would quickly fall apart afterward as he would eventually be benched in his fifth Vikings game and later demoted to third-string for the remainder of the season.
S Quandre Diggs (Seahawks, Practice Squad)
Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs is one of the constant reminders of the failed Patricia era. The Lions drafted Diggs in the sixth-round of the 2015 NFL draft, where he battled his way to the starting lineup, having started all 16 games in 2018. In fact, Diggs was the player who intercepted Sam Darnold’s first career pass attempt for a pick-six. Now, Darnold is leading the Seahawks into Super Bowl LX.
Diggs was among numerous players who butt heads with Patrica, which led to his trade to the Seahawks in 2019. Diggs would go on to make the Pro Bowl in the following three seasons. Diggs was released by the Seahawks in 2024, where he joined the Titans before being granted his release in November 2025.
Diggs is now back with the Seahawks, where he’s on the team’s practice squad. Diggs has played one game in Seattle since his return, but could be a potential call-up in the Super Bowl. Even if he doesn’t, practice squad players do typically get Super Bowl rings if their team wins.
RB Craig Reynolds (Patriots, Practice Squad, Injured)
Last, but certainly not least, is longtime fan favorite running back Craig Reynolds. Whether it was his appearance on HBO’s Hard Knocks or his massive block on then-Buccaneers Carlton Davis on a lengthy Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdown, Reynolds endeared himself to Lions faithful.
Craig Reynolds, certified people mover đ€#DETvsTB | đș FOX pic.twitter.com/pGn8jPQloQ
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 15, 2023
Reynolds made a majority of appearances on special teams, playing only four snaps on offense in 2025, but that didn’t stop Lions fans from being heartbroken when he was released in late November.
Days later, Reynolds signed with the Patriots to their practice squad before subsequently being placed on the practice squad injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. Reynolds was previously dealing with a hamstring issue while with the Lions.
As there’s no sign of a return, Lions fans won’t get to see Reynolds in the Super Bowl — at least this season. Of course, that could change next season as a return to the Lions could always be in the cards for Reynolds. By this time next year, maybe fans will see him suit up in the Super Bowl wearing Honolulu Blue.
Because it would be great to see current Detroit Lions players in the Super Bowl rather than past Lions for once.
