Lions general manager Brad Holmes naturally refutes interest in trading for Trey Lance

As NFL general managers go, Brad Holmes does not typically pull punches. Certain topics naturally demand vagueness and lack of specific details, but words (or lack thereof) can be dissected for meaning.

Early in the offseason, despite fans wanting to lament it, the Lions made broad sense as a possible trade suitor for Trey Lance. The San Francisco 49ers were going to move him, it was only a matter of time. Last Friday they did so, sending him to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick.

Afterward, Dianna Russini of The Athletic naturally reported other suitors for Lance. The Lions were among them that Russini named, which should not have been a surprise as a matter of simple due diligence. The Cowboys clearly trumped everyone else, and surprised the 49ers, with their offer of a fourth-round pick.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes refutes any interest in Trey Lance, as expected

When a general manager does not get a player they may have wanted, at the price they wanted, it becomes a possible reflex to dismiss any interest in said player. Lest it looks like they didn't try hard enough.

On Friday morning, Holmes addressed the Lance topic.

"The Trey Lance thing in particular, I never reached out. I never inquired about the player or anything,”

“I think the report was that us and some other teams were like, in that group of being interested. But I never actively pursued the player. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the reports.”"

There is a possible distinction between actively pursuing a player, making a cursory phone call to see what it might take to trade for him or even taking a phone call from the team looking to part with a player. Holmes seems to be playing semantics with wording here.

Holmes added he can't speak to the accuracy of the report(s) attaching the Lions to interest in Lance. Why not? If you never reached out, never inquired "or anything" and never "actively pursued" him, then the report is patently inaccurate. So say so, even if it's not said harshly or questions the reporter (ex: "I don't know where that came from, regarding our interest in Trey Lance.....").

Holmes' refuting of the Lions' interest in Lance borders on his declaration of "priority" being placed on the No. 2 quarterback spot behind Jared Goff at the outset of the offseason, only to re-sign Nate Sudfeld and do a multi-month dance with Teddy Bridgewater before finally signing him.

By the time he was actually traded, Lance was no longer a fit for the Lions. But to believe Holmes never had even a cursory level of interest going back months, at the right price, is a failure of logic he even hinted at on Friday with a Lance punch line for effect.

"But again, we’re always going to look to upgrade the roster at any point. But if it’s like something that’s something that’s real active, and we reached out ... We did not do that (with Lance).”"

- Brad Holmes, via MLive