PALM BEACH, Fla. – Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes spoke to local media members Monday morning at the NFL Annual Meetings and covered a wide range of topics that have kept him and his front office staff quite busy over the last couple months, including free agency and draft preparations.
Here are all the key questions that came out of that session:
How did Holmes like the result of the first couple waves of free agency?
He said he was actually pretty ecstatic with how it went. He was prepared going in, because of some of the current and future contract obligations they face, that he wouldn't be able to accomplish as much as he did.
"Look, I'm more than happy with how free agency went," he said. "I say more than happy because we were able to get guys that we really wanted to get. That's not always the case.
"Like, we don't compromise and get a prospect that we're warm on. So, happy with that. But more than happy because we actually were able to do more than what I thought we were going to be able to do heading into it."
Holmes was clear at the Combine in February when he said he didn't expect to be big-time players in free agency. They did sign cornerback D.J. Reed to a three-year, $48 million deal, but most of the other deals were shorter in duration and less expensive.
"I knew we were going to be in that corner market," he said. "That corner market was expensive. The get-in-the-door entry price was $16 million. If you would have told me that we would have been able to get a corner for that much with the defensive linemen that we were able to get and getting TP (Tim Patrick) back and all that, I wouldn't have thought we were going to be able to do that."
What is left to do in free agency?
"Yeah. I mean, look, there's still guys out there that we're staying in contact with," Holmes said. "For right now, the higher-dollar guys, we're probably past that point now. We're kind of more in the lower deals, whatever that's third wave (or) whatever wave it is now."
Holmes said he's excited about some of the young players on the roster who might not have gotten a lot of opportunity yet and he isn't going to sign a veteran just to sign a veteran. They are going to count on some of their second-year players to mix in with the vets and contribute.
"We're kind of at that point now," he said. "But pretty much all positions are really still on the table, just to kind of add depth and competition across the board."
Why didn't Holmes expect to be a big player in free agency?
It was really two reasons. One, he thought last year's roster could have won a championship with some of their core pieces and wanted to retain a lot of those players. Two, they are at a point financially in the salary cap that bills are coming due and decisions have to be made.
Holmes knows free agency is exciting when teams go out and bring a lot of new players in. They just aren't at that point financially.
Holmes and his staff put their players against every other player in the league by position group and this year he loved where a lot of his players stacked up. Plus, extensions signed by Jared Goff, Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Alim McNeill will start coming due on next year's cap. And that's before we talk about potential contract extensions for Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams.
"We lost some of our own guys just because financially we weren't able to," Holmes said. "I do think that's part of the discipline that's required for where we're at as a football team right now. That is, yes, the balance of winning now but also wanting to sustain winning as well. There is a discipline.
"This analogy popped in my head this morning — you have financial responsibilities. You have a mortgage or your kid's college fund, your 529, you have insurance you have to pay. You know you have to pay those things. But that might require that you can't take the vacation you really want right now this summer. So, that's kind of where we are right now.
"We had so many of these young players that have been on rookie deals and we've been enjoying the impact that they've all been bringing. But now, a bill is coming. What you spend this year is going to impact next year, even impacts 2027. So, that's the discipline that we have to adhere to."
Why is Reed such a great fit for Detroit?
The veteran free agent was Detroit's top target in free agency and immediately fills the void left by the departure of Carlton Davis III in free agency.
"Look, we love D.J. Reed," Holmes said. "You're talking about a guy that literally just fit who we are like a glove. Very gritty and tenacious. He's scheme-diverse. I really was impressed with his man-to-man coverage snaps. He's feisty, he'll tackle, he'll support on the edge. So, he fits us."
Which re-signing had Holmes doing a backflip?
Holmes and the Lions are expecting a huge season from fifth-year defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike, who re-signed on a one-year deal this offseason. He recorded 28 tackles, 13 quarterback hits and was Top 15 among all defensive tackles in quarterback pressures.
"Look, if you were to tell me that we were gonna get that done back when we were first trying to get Levi extended back in the fall, I would have been doing a backflip, and literally almost was doing a backflip, because like I said, I did not think that we were going to be able to get a player of his caliber back, along with how expensive that corner market got, and I knew that we had to be in that corner market," Holmes said.
Will the Lions exercise the fifth-year option on Williams' rookie contract?
It looks that way.
"Yeah. I mean, look, it's heading that way, that we're, you know, most likely gonna be doing that," Holmes said. "Look, he was a tremendous player for us last year. He's still scratching the surface. I do think he's got more in him as well. So, I just think it just makes sense for us to do what we can to keep him around."
