Making the leap: Welcome to Detroit Football Network, your new source for Lions coverage and analysis

When ambitions outpace your profession, you have a decision to make: You can sacrifice those ambitions by persisting in the current situation, or you can step outside your comfort zone to strive for something greater. After nearly two decades in corporate media, I'm choosing the latter. 

Welcome to Detroit Football Network, your new source for Lions coverage and analysis.

My name is Justin Rogers, and if you've followed the Lions the past dozen years, you're almost certainly familiar with my work, both for MLive and the Detroit News. As a beat reporter, those efforts included daily coverage from the locker room, mailbags, weekly film reviews, in-depth features on organizational figures such as Chris Spielman, Ben Johnson and Dan Miller, plus thoughtful post-game analysis, punctuated by Monday morning's "Three and Out" columns. 

The goal of this new venture is both a continuation and an evolution of the content offerings I've carefully curated through the years. We're talking diligent, even-keeled, ground-level reporting, comprehensive storytelling and fact-based analysis. Finally – and I can't emphasize this enough – I intend to be malleable to changing trends and what you, the audience, wants to read. 

There are plans to launch a weekly newsletter, which will focus on the process of the job, explaining the intent of the questions I'm asking in press conferences and the stories I'm choosing to write. And hopefully sooner rather than later, I'd like to dip my toes back into podcasting, once I find a co-host who shares my vision. I also readily admit I need to be more engaged on social media, after intentionally scaling back on those platforms the past couple years. I want to be as accessible to my audience as I've ever been. 

I'm going this route because I believe there's the potential to do something special here, free from the constraints of corporate framework. This independent, self-publishing path has been successfully charted by others, but almost always out of necessity. Where sudden job loss has spurred motivation to innovate, I'm proactively opting to strike out on my own. This is the future of journalism and I’m aiming to be ahead of the curve locally.

In doing so, I'm walking away from the steady paycheck, as well as another compelling job offer outside the industry, because writing for this passionate fan base is what I love to do. I intend to deliver in a way that matches your passion for this team.

I understand there hasn't been a step of my career that would have been possible without a supportive, engaged audience. That will be as true as ever with this venture. The Detroit Football Network will be a straightforward, subscription-based model. I'm not going to try to lure you in with an unsustainable introductory rate to get you through the door, hoping you aren't paying attention to your credit card statement when that deal expires. The goal is a reasonable and affordable monthly charge, priced less than the average fast food combo meal. On top of that, an annual commitment gets you two months for free. 

Personally and professionally, this is admittedly a massive leap into the unknown. I've been inherently conservative every step of my career. Since earning my first opportunity with MLive in early 2005, my resume has been collecting dust. I haven't applied for a job in 19 years, only jumping to The Detroit News when they reached out to me. I spent a dozen years with MLive, doggedly pursuing my goal of becoming a sports reporter. The last seven, I've continued to live out that childhood dream at the News. My tenure at both spots has been defined by my work ethic, passion, creativity and loyalty. 

I will remember my time with the News fondly. The publication gave me much-needed space to breathe, develop and fill holes in my game as a young reporter. In turn, I gave them everything I had, every day, resulting in a record number of posts, page views and subscribers.

But in June, after several months of earnest conversations about my value to and future with the company, I tendered my resignation, intent on placing the two biggest bets of my life. The first is on myself. I can confidently say that's the lock of the two. Hard work and high standards have yet to fail me. The second wager is on you following me as I make this leap. 

In closing, I'd like to share some gratitude. 

Thank you to those I've confided in and have counseled me on this decision, both in and outside the industry. You regularly opened my eyes to things I hadn't previously considered. There are too many people to name, but a special shoutout to Ty Dunne of Go Long, who charted the self-publishing path years before I considered it and has offered unending support. 

Thank you to my colleagues at The Detroit News, particularly those I've worked closest with during my time at the publication. John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski are, without question, the best sports columnists in town, and I couldn't have had a better partner than Nolan Bianchi this past year. I've had five sports editors in seven years with the company, and each has been a blessing. In particular, the two most recent to hold that position, Daren Tomhave and Rod Beard, exhibited uncommon empathy that made the day-to-day grind easier than could be imagined. 

Thank you to the Lions. It would be impossible to do this the way I want without continued credentialing. The team's media-relations staff, led by Eamonn Reynolds, is the best in the business. 

To my wife, Jennifer, there's no way I could take this leap without your support. You didn't blink as I unveiled my plan, despite knowing the financial strain it will put on our family. I'm not only taking my salary to zero, but initially well into the red with plans to continue covering road games and important league events such as the combine and owners meetings. 

Finally, thank you to my readers. When The News announced my departure in June, I was overwhelmed by hundreds of kind texts, emails and social media messages. Even though my decision to pursue this project had already been made, you have thoroughly strengthened my resolve. 

If you're here as I launch ahead of the 2024 NFL season, you know enough about me to understand I'm going to put everything I have into giving you the best coverage in town. And if this is somehow our introduction, I look forward to winning you over. Let's do this!

– J