Over most of the roughly five or six decades prior the arrival of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, four straight seasons above .500 would've been regarded as a great success for the Detroit Lions. But these aren't your father, grandfather or even noticeably older brother's Lions, so last season's 9-8 mark landed as a disappointment.
While Holmes' draft record is fantastic, it has also presents a unique challenge as the young stars from his first three draft classes move toward second contracts. All have proven worthy of being among the highest-paid at their position, which makes it tough to navigate properly filling out the rest of the roster.
It's that next phase of the Lions' evolution, rooted back to savvy drafting to keep the cupboard of young, cheap talent full, that will be hard to nail. But the best general managers in the league are able to do it, and Holmes is among them.
Brad Holmes has a clear blue print to climb GM rankings
Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports is out with his annual ranking of NFL general managers. Holmes comes in at No. 7, with a clearly outlined path to be ranked higher a year from now.
"The going has finally gotten tough for Brad Holmes. In traditional Lions terms, that would mean 3-14 with the No. 1 overall pick. For Holmes, it means 9-8 with a Week 18 win over upstart rival Chicago.
"The sky is not falling in Detroit. It’s just time for Holmes to prove he can maintain a roster, not merely build it up. That might sound like an odd or even pointless distinction, but there is a difference between rebuilding from rock bottom and staying at the top. Holmes cashed in his high-end picks and ample cap space beautifully."
"It gets harder when you are always outside the draft lottery and dealing with quarterback salaries north of $50 million. That’s why it’s been a quieter few offseasons in Detroit. Holmes hasn’t made major mistakes, there just weren’t enough “small wins” in 2025."
"Holmes is now operating on the margins. How he fills out the back end of his roster becomes almost as important as the top. You rarely reach a Super Bowl without excelling in all three phases at every level of the roster. Given enough time, Holmes has aced all his Lions tests. We would ultimately expect this moment of adversity to be no different."
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Holmes and Campbell assessed their operation top-to-bottom after falling short of expectations last season. Time will tell if those changes foster a rebound season in 2026. But that assessment to try to determine where things may have gone a little awry is another part of the evolution involved with sustaining a top-notch roster.
If Holmes nailed this offseason, the Lions have a great chance to climb back to an NFC North title. In line with that, he may be top-five in this ranking of his peers next year.
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