Detroit Lions Hire Former L.A. Rams’ Scouting Director Brad Holmes as New GM
Brad Holmes accepted the Detroit Lions’ offer to hire him as their new general manager following his second interview for the position on Wednesday. The Detroit Free Press reports that Holmes’ mother cried when she heard the news, so it’s reasonable to guess that this new job means a lot to him.
Congratulations + thank you Brad for 18 years of dynamic intelligence, unwavering leadership + humility.
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 14, 2021
Best of luck to you + your family in Detroit! pic.twitter.com/oM81oiK7Rr
Holmes spent 16 seasons working his way up from an intern position and eventually became the college scouting director for the Rams’ organization, a position that he has held since 2013. Since becoming college scouting director, Holmes has helped the Rams draft Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and Jared Goff. He is also reported to be great at finding talent in the later rounds, managing to fill out the Rams starting defense in recent years with a few 3rd round picks. It’s also worth noting that the Rams have arguably the best defense in the league right now, while the Lions have one of the worst, if not the worst, defense in the league. The Lions are hoping Holmes will be able to rebuild their defense as well as he beefed up the Rams’ defense.
The Lions president, Rod Wood, cited Holmes’ critical thinking ability and “his extensive experience implementing technology and analytics into his approach to scouting” as the main reasons behind the decision to bring Holmes on as the new general manager. Now the question remains: How will Holmes influence the Lions’ choice for a new head coach, and even more importantly, what will he decide for the future of Matthew Stafford in Detroit?
In the running for the head coaching position open in Detroit are coordinators Eric Bieniemy (Chiefs), Arthur Smith (Titans) and Todd Bowles (Buccaneers) as well as former Bengals’ head coach Marvin Lewis, Saints’ assistant head coach Dan Campbell, and the 2020 interim head coach and former offensive coordinator for the Lions, Darrell Bevell. It is important to note that 49ers defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh, was also a frontrunner, and potentially fan favorite, before he accepted the New York Jets head coaching position.
Beyond the question of hiring a new head coach, Matthew Stafford, in his usual fashion, has not responded to all the speculation surrounding his future in Detroit. It is worth noting, however, that teammates reported that he gave a stirring speech about what an honor it is to play football in the NFL following the Lions’ meaningless final game of the regular season. Furthermore, it should be recognized that Stafford played through injuries in that meaningless final game of a very disappointing season.
The @Lions have agreed to terms with Brad Holmes to become the team’s new Executive Vice President and General Manager.
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) January 14, 2021
In his 18-year scouting career with the Rams, the team had 37 Pro Bowl and 20 AP All-Pro selections.#OnePride pic.twitter.com/gm3w8ZsoMh
Regardless of what happens with the head coaching position or Matthew Stafford, the future's looking brighter in Detroit with Brad Holmes in as the general manager. Holmes has worked his way up the ranks in the NFL and has many supporters from his former positions that have said his new job in Detroit is a well-deserved promotion. He has impressed his bosses at every stage of his career and now he is the boss and not only that, but he seems like he’ll be a good boss, one who cares deeply about his team. Holmes said to his mother after telling her he had received the offer to be the general manager in Detroit, “Mom, I just really think I can make a difference.”
