DETROIT – Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes had his end-of-year presser Thursday and covered topics from the team’s Super Bowl window, rebuilding the coaching staff, bringing back key free agents, and contract extension talks for Aidan Hutchinson and Kerby Joseph.
Here are some takeaways from the presser.
If you just want to watch the whole press conference for yourself, scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the video.
How far from winning Super Bowl?
Holmes was asked how far he thinks the Lions are from winning a Super Bowl.
“I do think that we’re very close,” Holmes said. “Obviously, I thought we were very close this year, but nothing’s going to alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building.”
Holmes said even though the Lions fell short in the playoffs, he felt good about this season, and he wants to keep building.
“It sucks,” Holmes said. “It’s humbling, but no overreaction. There’s nothing else to do but get back to work. You guys have heard me talk about trying to battle recency bias and not being a prisoner of the moment, and, look, we just fell short. It wasn’t our day.
“But I don’t think you can be a prisoner of the moment and make all of these wholesale changes. Now look: We’ll assess and evolve like we always do every year and we’ll work to improve, but there is nothing else to do but get back to work.”
Trying to avoid ‘windows’
Holmes talked about the concept of a “window” of contention, and he said the Lions have done their best to try to avoid windows.
The Lions will bring back almost every major contributor from this year’s team, and the young core -- Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Alim McNeill, and others -- are locked up well into the future.
“I understand that contracts come up and stuff happens but we feel so good about our young core and young nucleus of players, and we feel really good about our quarterback and how he’s playing and him having a -- let’s call it an MVP-caliber season this year,” Holmes said. “So I just think that all the pieces are in place that I don’t really feel walls closing in or a window, and we’ve kind of made an effort to avoid those things.”
Lions pass rush
When he was asked about where the Lions need to improve, he talked specifically about how injuries were a root cause of the pass rushing struggles.
“When you’re down five defensive ends due to injury, then I don’t know who has a sixth, seventh, and eighth effective pass rusher,” Holmes said. “When you get down that low, yes, you could say.”
He said when the Lions were at full health, he felt really good about the pass rush and the defense as a whole.
The Lions are going to continue to add competition to their depth chart via the draft and free agency this offseason, Holmes said.
Rebuilding staff
The Lions will have to replace at least three members of their coaching staff this season: defensive line coach Terrell Williams, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
Holmes talked about the process of rebuilding the staff.
“I know has been preparing for it, and I have the full faith and trust in Dan to make sure that we’re going to have the right people in place in those spots,” Holmes said. “He’s had to encounter that before -- not at the coordinator level, but other position coaches, and it’s always worked out.”
Characteristics of new coordinators
Hobie asked Holmes about the pillars he looks for when considering new coordinators.
“He’s going to have to be adaptable,” Holmes said. “He’s going to have to be smart. He’s going to have to be able to adjust, make sure that he’s putting the players in the best position to succeed. Those are some of the characteristics I think are a good culture fit for a coach here.
“Our identity kind of shows. So most coaches that choose to take a position here -- the same as a player -- I think that they know what they’re about to walk into in terms of how we play and what our standards are.”
Jared Goff without Ben Johnson
Holmes said he feels very confident in Jared Goff’s performance going forward, even after Johnson’s departure.
“I feel very confident in that, just because -- that’s the other thing with coordinators leaving and if there’s tweaks to scheme and all that -- as long as Dan’s the head coach here and as long as I’m here, then those are things that we talk about that are not going to change, so maybe a scheme tweak here or there, but if a player’s going to come in here, he’s a Detroit Lion or he’s not,” Holmes said. “Same as that question about a coach coming in here. I think Jared, in particular, that’s something that I know is at the forefront of Dan’s mind in terms of what’s going to be the best thing for him, so I have faith that everything will be OK.”
Holmes said Goff was very productive in Johnson’s system, but pointed out that he was very good even before he got to Detroit.
Keeping assistant coaches
It’s not just the coordinators who could end up leaving Detroit this offseason. Some position coaches will likely have opportunities to follow Glenn and Johnson to the Jets and Bears.
“You want to keep the good ones, obviously, and guys that you’ve gotten comfortable with and have proved that they fit here. But that’s just the nature of this business, and it’s something that you just have to expect. You have to prepare for it.”
Holmes said it’s hard to keep good people because they’ll always be in demand.
Za’Darius Smith trade
Someone asked Holmes how he came out of this season a better general manager due to all the injuries. Holmes pointed specifically at the acquisition of Za’Darius Smith at the trade deadline.
The Lions acquired Smith from the Browns after losing Aidan Hutchinson and others from their pass rushing group.
“This was the first time we’ve had to trade for a pass rusher this year, and I will say that was the most difficult player acquisition journey that I’ve ever dealt with,” Holmes said.
He said when you start making calls to teams, the list of available players shrinks very quickly.
“You start calling these other teams and these other GMs, and they might have four rushers,” Holmes said. “So forget the starters -- those guys aren’t even available. We’re talking about third and fourths.”
Holmes said he can’t really disagree with other general managers who express concern about getting through two more months of football if they give up a pass rusher.
“So when we got Za’Darius, he was one of a small handful of guys that were actually available to actually get that we felt was going to complete and contribute at a starter level,” Holmes said.
He said going through that experience sharpened him up a little.
Rookie offensive linemen
The Lions drafted two offensive linemen last April: Giovanni Manu in the fourth round and Christian Mahogany in the sixth.
Manu was a project from the start, so it was no surprise that he didn’t see the field. But Mahogany filled in at guard for an injured Kevin Zeitler at the end of the season.
“Feel good about both of them,” Holmes said.
He said Mahogany started in camp looking like he was ready for the moment, while Manu was someone who had a lot to learn.
Then, Mahogany missed time due to injury, and when he returned, he jumped right back into the mix confidently, Holmes said.
“I think he just has to continue improving, continue to work on his game,” Holmes said of Mahogany. “I know he will do that, but I do think that he can make that jump.”
Manu also made tremendous progress throughout the course of the season, Holmes said.
“Excited about both those guys' futures, for sure,” Holmes said.
Will he try to bring Zeitler back?
Kevin Zeitler was excellent for the Lions this season, but he only signed a one-year deal, so he is set to become a free agent.
Will the Lions try to bring the 34-year-old back?
“A player of that age, you’ve just got to have conversations with him,” Holmes said. “We had conversations on exit day and then we’ll just continue to have dialogue and just kind of see where it goes.”
What about Carlton Davis?
Another player the Lions acquired for just one season is cornerback Carlton Davis, who they received in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Davis, 28, was the team’s No. 1 cornerback for most of the season until an injury knocked him out for the playoff game.
Holmes praised Davis' play this season, saying he thought it was even better than Davis' final year in Tampa Bay.
“We’re aware of not only just Carlton, Zeitler, but we’re aware of a lot of other guys who are either on expiring contracts that had good contributions to our team this year or guys that are worthy for an extension.”
He said there hasn’t been any intense action yet, but they’re going to “go through the process” with Davis.
Aidan Hutchinson contract extension
Even though Hutchinson missed the final 12 regular-season games and the playoff game, he’s still one of the players the Lions will likely prioritize for an extension in the future.
At the time of his injury, Hutchinson was having a Defensive Player of the Year season, with an NFL-leading 7.5 sacks in five games.
Holmes answered a question about extension talks with Hutchinson.
“We’re working through all of that,” Holmes said. “Again, it’s not always in our control. We might have our plans and processes, but it takes two people to get something done. That’s not a negative comment, it’s just that you don’t know what that player and the camp and all that kind of stuff is thinking.
“So we haven’t gotten to those intense dialogues yet, so that should be the only thing. We have our philosophy and our process, so we’ll see how that goes.”
Kerby Joseph contract extension
Kerby Joseph had a breakout season for the Lions at safety, leading the league with nine interceptions.
He’s under contract for the 2025 season, but then is set to hit free agency for the first time. Are the Lions trying to extend him this offseason?
“That’s on the docket in terms of to be looked at and discussed,” Holmes said. “We know where he’s at from an eligibility -- look, he’s an All-Pro player, I mean, I don’t know how you don’t make the Pro Bowl with nine interceptions, whatever that is, but he’s an All-Pro player and he’s another one that’s gotten better and better so he’s one that has proven that he’s a Detroit Lion. He fits. He fits our culture. It’s hard to find ball hawk guys that will tackle like he does, and I think that’s what makes him unique.
“Again, we haven’t had any intense dialogue about that yet but obviously, we want to keep the good players here.”
You can watch the full press conference here:
