The Detroit Lions didn't fire Jim Caldwell this past offseason, a decision that was made after plenty of deliberation by new general manager Bob Quinn, who came from the New England Patriots.

Since, both parties have expressed respect and admiration for each other, but is all of that simply window dressing for what's eventually coming next offseason?

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, that could be the case. In his fearless division predictions piece, La Canfora took a look at the NFC North, and admitted he can't pick against the Green Bay Packers while saying it was possible the Minnesota Vikings could take a step backward.

But those were hardly the most interesting nuggets he divulged.

As it relates to the Lions, La Canfora said it's likely to be a transition year for the team, and hinted at more changes coming after next season, including a notable one at head coach. Here's what he wrote specifically:

"This smells like a year of transition in Detroit where they did the ol' fire half the building now/fire the other half next January thing, and there are many execs in the NFL convinced that Pats coordinator Matt Patricia is the next de-facto coach of the Lions.

Locker rooms tend to sense that, and the retirement of Megatron will leave a gaping void."

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The Lions never officially interviewed Patricia last year, because they simply elected to keep Caldwell given his experience. There was a thought that Quinn would tap either Josh McDaniels or Patricia as Detroit's next coach then, but Quinn did plenty of reconstruction elsewhere, perhaps laying the groundwork for bigger changes later on.

Patricia, meanwhile, was interviewed this offseason for other jobs, and impressed the Cleveland Browns according to a piece at Patriots.com.

Obviously, there's a long way to go, but it's clear Lions' fans might want to keep their eyes fixed on the Patriots as it relates to other hires in the future.