The 2025 NFL Schedule will officially be released on Wednesday night, but there likely will be leaks that happen before then.
In fact, one may have just come from a source who would likely know. Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold shared this message on Tuesday night.
Wait till y’all see who our first game is 😂😂 this crazy lol!! Come back to this tweet tmrw
— Terrion Arnold (@ArnoldTerrion) May 13, 2025
Short of Arnold trolling, which can't be ruled out, this seems to suggest that the Lions will have an intriguing matchup in Week 1. We know that the matchup won't be against the Philadelphia Eagles or Dallas Cowboys. Based on Arnold's reaction, it would also seem likely that the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers can be ruled out. While division rivals, it would seem exaggerated to call a game against either team "crazy" because of that very same reason.
The same can't be said for the Chicago Bears. The rivalry between the Bears and Lions seemed to have reached a new level this offseason with Ben Johnson leaving his post as the Lions' offensive coordinator to become the Bears' head coach. Lions fans didn't actually take the news well.
Johnson's first game of his head coaching career being against the Lions would certainly be characterized as "crazy". But why stop there? Why not make the game in Detroit and one of the primetime matchups of Week 1?
The Bears playing the Lions would also be a direct change from the 2024 season, when the team did not play an NFC North rival until the second half of the season. Selfishly, the Bears should hope for a similar type of structure for the 2025 season. For as great as the Johnson hire was, chances are it won't be something that leads to immediate success in Week 1. It would seem to be in the Bears' best interest to play their division games late in the season, once Johnson's offense with Caleb Williams has been fully established.