THE 2008 Detroit Lions suffered one of the worst seasons in NFL history, finishing winless across 16 games.
Today, players from the famed squad once dubbed the worst NFL team ever are in separate stages of life.
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How bad were the 2008 Detroit Lions?
The 2008 Lions are only the second team since the AFL-NFL merger to finish a full-length season without a win and the first under the 16-game schedule in place from 1978 to 2020.
Detroit gave up a then franchise record 517 points during the regular season, which was just 16 points allowed away from becoming the worst in NFL history, nearly overtaking the 1981 Baltimore Colts.
The Lions' 32.31 points per game allowed on defense is the third worst of any NFL team since the 1960s too.
In Week 11, Detroit was eliminated from playoff contention.
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Team president, general manager, and CEO Matt Millen, who had served in those roles since 2001, plus the head coach and most of his staff, were all fired.
Who was notable from the team?
Quarterback Dan Orlovsky and wide receiver Calvin Johnson are the two most recognizable players from the 2008 Lions.
Orlovsky played for the franchise in 2005 and 2008, starting seven games in the winless season.
His most memorable play for the team is when he famously ran out of the back of his own end zone without realizing it.
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Orlovsky threw for 1,616 yards with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions on the season.
The eventual Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver, Johnson, was in his sophomore NFL season.
He caught 78 passes for 1,331 yards and a league-leading 12 reception touchdowns.
Also to note, Rod Marinelli, a 2003 Super Bowl champion, coached the 2008 Lions.
Three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper lost five games as a quarterback in 2008 for Detroit as well.
Where are they now?
Orlovsky, a journeyman in the NFL, has hit the big time in retirement from the sport as a TV personality.
The 40-year-old former quarterback regularly appears on ESPN's morning show, First Take, along with The Pat McAfee Show.
Johnson retired from the NFL in 2015 at just 30 years old, still near his peak.
In retirement, the one-time wideout can now be found hitting the links on the golf course.
Johnson also has his own foundation, the Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation, and he's the Chief Executive Strategist of a Michigan-based cannabis research company, Primitiv, per his LinkedIn page.
Marinelli coached football until his retirement in 2022.
He was the defensive line coach for the Las Vegas Raiders in his final coaching gig.
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Culpepper last played football in 2009.
The NFL veteran hosts an annual Daunte Culpepper AAAA Celebrity Golf Tournament fundraiser.
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