Rumors of the Detroit Lions' demise were greatly exaggerated.
Following an unexpected playoff-less regression last season, speculation circulated about a potential rift between general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell.
Holmes went a long way to shutting that down earlier this week, and Campbell has now weighed in with an emphatic statement of his own.
"Brad and myself do everything together," Campbell said Friday at the Crain's Detroit Business Newsmakers of the Year luncheon, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. "And despite what's been out there, that's a bunch of – listen, we're golden, man. We are as good as we've ever been, we want to win and we're going to get it right."
Message received.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell shuts down rumors of a rift with general manager Brad Holmes
That's the most Dan Campbell way of shutting down a rumor imaginable. We all read that quote in his voice. But let's rewind for a moment. How did we get here?
Earlier this month, Mike Valenti of 97.1 FM said he'd heard that this was the "first offseason" where there had been "definite differences of opinions in roster construction between Dan and Brad."
From the outside looking in, it's impossible to know if there have been any disagreements at Allen Park. Holmes and Campbell have made it clear that they are on the same page.
They'll need to be in sync by the time the NFL Draft arrives in a little under a month. After a predictably but frustratingly quiet free-agency period, Holmes must get to work on addressing roster needs, primarily tackle and edge-rusher, in the early rounds.
While Holmes is the roster builder and has the final say, Campbell must have input on what he feels the team is missing to get back on top of the NFC North.
Holmes spoke about the "constraints" they faced financially in free agency, which is why they handed out almost exclusively bargain one-year contracts. That only cranks up the pressure to get it right in the draft. That's where Holmes has thrived in the past -- his work in the draft from 2021 and 2023 helped build a serious contender.
But it's also fair to argue that the previous two classes have raised more questions.
In 2024, Holmes traded a future third-round pick to move up for guard Giovanni Manu, who has played four games with one start in two seasons. Last year, the Lions moved up 32 spots to land wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, burning both of their 2026 third-round selections. TeSlaa is talented but remains buried on the depth chart behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
The Lions notably avoided adding a pass-rusher until the sixth round last year, a decision that still haunts them.
The pressure is on. Holmes and Campbell have formed one of the league's best general manager-head coach combinations in recent years, and the Lions need them on the same page as they enter a pivotal draft to extend this team's Super Bowl window.