Brad Holmes Reveals How He Can Improve Job Performance

Brad Holmes explains how he can improve as general manager of the Detroit Lions.

It has been one year since the Detroit Lions hired Brad Holmes to be their general manager. 

The failed stint of former general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia forced the organization to move in a completely different direction. 

Instead of a totalitarian regime, principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp opted for inclusiveness and collaboration as prerequisites for the front-office hires. 

While there have been hits and misses in terms of the roster, draft and free-agency decisions, Holmes' first year has been viewed as predominantly successful. 

At his season-ending media session, Holmes was asked by reporters how he can improve heading into his second season working in Motown. 

“Well, outside of the crystal ball for COVID-19 rules throughout the season, besides that, look, I’m big on self-assessment. So, I always think I can get better in all areas," Holmes explained. 

Holmes commented further, "I know you mentioned I have a lot of experience in the draft. Yes, I do. I believe even in free agency last year, not every single guy was a home run. Alex Anzalone did very, very well. Charles Harris did very well. Kalif Raymond did very, very well. But, I think I can grow in all areas. Whether it’s free agency, the draft, salary cap, I’m always going to look to evolve and improve myself. That’s what I preach to our staff about evolution and constantly evolving. But, that’s what I’m all about, is just constantly improving myself, and that’s what I’ll do.”

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Attracting free agents to Detroit Lions

Detroit is currently in the "player acquisition" phase of the offseason. Reviewing the roster and needs moving forward will guide Holmes and Co., as they embark on free agency and the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Last offseason, Detroit decided to stock the 2021 roster with numerous players on one-year deals. 

Moving forward, Detroit is hoping the season-long work to modify the culture will reverberate across the league and entice players to sign in Detroit. 

“Well, I don’t know if it’s a selling point, it’s just we can only be who we are. Again, we’ll have a little bit more resources to use than we did last year, but at the same time, we’ll be smart with everything," Holmes said. "From a selling, if I’m hearing you right, you mean what we’re about? Yeah, I thought I heard you correctly. Hopefully, the word will spread about what we’re building here, and I think it’s evident with the culture that we have in place. 

"I’m not sure if it’s a selling point, but hopefully that’s evident that everybody’s going to see that, and that word is going to go around about what we’re all about. I think it’s evident about how hard we play. We’re a gritty group that play really, really hard. But, we have an outstanding culture here. So, hopefully that bodes well for us in free agency.”