Checking in on Detroit Lions fans and their overall approval rating of general manager Brad Holmes.
Coming off their most successful season in at least 30 years, the Detroit Lions seem to be in a pretty great spot going forward. Not only is their team competitive in a way that we’ve rarely ever seen, but with one of the youngest rosters in football, a healthy salary cap, and a full slate of draft picks, it seems Detroit’s success is here to stay.
And who is the person quite possibly most responsible for the Lions’ current status? General manager Brad Holmes certainly deserves a bunch of credit. His impact on the roster is blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention.
Just look at the honors the Lions players have been getting this year. There were five Lions players down at the Pro Bowl over the weekend: Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Sam LaPorta, and Aidan Hutchinson—all five were draft Holmes draft picks in the past three years. Look at Detroit’s All-Pro list: Frank Ragnow, Sewell, St. Brown, LaPorta, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin. That’s three draft picks and a free agency signing.
This year, Holmes did it again in the draft. Despite going against conventional norm when it comes to positional value, the Lions general manager scored high-impact players in Gibbs, LaPorta, Brian Branch and Jack Campbell. Two of those players are up for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Branch just missed out on a nomination for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
As a result, Holmes has already been named NFL Executive of the Year in a survey of his peers. Plus, he’s just such a likable guy with how much this team clearly means to him. He became notorious this year for going crazy on the sidelines and in the Ford Field elevators.
Holmes is far from perfect, though. Detroit went into 2023 knowing that outside cornerback was a tremendous issue for them. The Lions went out and tried to fix the problem by signing Emmanuel Moseley—who was coming off a torn ACL—and Cameron Sutton. Holmes’ propensity to gamble on injured players didn’t pay off with Moseley, who missed the first month of the season and then immediately tore his other ACL. As for Sutton, he struggled almost all season, making his three-year, $33 million contract look a bit shaky so far.
However, it’s hard to pick many other holes in Holmes’ resume. His first draft class produced five players who are starters to this day and two All Pros. His second produced their best defensive player (Aidan Hutchinson), an emerging explosive weapon (Jameson Williams), a strong starter (Kerby Joseph) and few role players with high ceilings (Josh Paschal, James Houston, Malcolm Rodriguez). And his 2023 class may be his best yet.
But before you vote on whether you approve of Holmes’ management, let’s take a look at his approval rating throughout his three years.
March 2021 (pre-free agency): 97 percent approval
May 2021 (post-draft): 98 percent
September 2021 (post-cuts): 90 percent
October 2021: 87 percent
November 2021: 79 percent
December 2021: 97 percent
January 2022: 97 percent
March 2022 (pre-free agency): 96 percent
May 2022 (post-draft): 99 percent
September 2022: 95 percent
October 2022: 82 percent
November 2022: 97 percent
January 2023: 99 percent
April 2023 (pre-draft): 98 percent
October 2023: 99 percent
Okay, let’s just get it over with. Vote in the poll below and explain your vote in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
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