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Brad Holmes recently made some comments on the Lions off-season, use of money, and future plans in an interview at the annual meetings. But how do these points actually affect the Lions’ ability to build the team going forward? Let’s dive in.

Brad’s thoughts on Lions Free Agency so far:

It sounds like Brad is more than fine with how the Lions did in free agency, with their ability to fill needs while keeping their guys. It’s obvious that we can’t spend a ton of money, so he feels they accomplished more than they thought they would be able to.

He said, “Look, I’m more than hapy with how free agency went, I say more than happy because we were able to get guys that we really wanted to get. That’s not always the case.”

He continued, “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.”

Brad was able to sign one ‘big fish’ in free agency, though, in cornerback DJ Reed from New York on a 3-year deal worth $48 million.

Holmes mentioned, “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.” Clearly, the Lions got somewhat lucky with this deal, as many other comparable corners got more money, but Reed wanted to be a Lion.

What’s next in free agency?

Brad said, “Yeah. I mean, look, there’s still guys out there that we’re staying in contact with. 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.”

The Lions were never going to be able to swing big this time around, but Holmes made it pretty clear we have what we need already. He said he’s pretty excited about the young guys we didn’t see much of last year, as they have progressed well. It sounds to me like Detroit is in its depth only signing phase, as Reed was the only ‘big fish’ they were able to afford. Brad said, “We’re kind of at that point now. But pretty much all positions are really still on the table, just to kind of add depth and competition across the board.” Confirming that feeling, which I would hope most people understand.

Why weren’t the Lions more aggressive in free agency?

Well, as aforementioned, they just don’t have the resources. Plus, Holmes believes we could have won a Super Bowl with our roster last season, if healthy. Obviously, health is not something you can count on in football, but the Lions had a laundry list of injuries, and a lot of them were considered ‘fluky,’ like Hutchinson’s leg being snapped by his own teammate. We all know free agency is like Christmas for some fans, as you wake up that Monday morning with a bunch of shiny new players, but we all know that is not how the great teams are built. Don’t get me wrong, free agency is a very valuable asset, but it’s to fill needs, not build the team entirely. The Lions just couldn’t afford players this time, and even had to let go of some of their own guys to sign who they did. One downside of drafting as well as Brad has is that contracts are due and we are at that point now where good draft classes need extensions.

Holmes said, “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.” He continued, “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.”

It is clear Brad is thinking multiple years down the line, which is the correct way to do it. Too often we see GMs or coaches that seem frantic to make the team better, in fear of losing their job. Thankfully, Holmes and Campbell don’t have that problem, as they will be in Detroit until they retire (I hope). Brad knows he is in it for the long haul, and he wants as many ‘kicks at the can’ as possible.

What was the ‘biggest’ re-signing?

It seems obvious here, as Levi Ownuzurike had his best season on a contact year, and Holmes was fairly certain we wouldn’t be able to bring him back.

He said, “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,”

Gettng a guy like Levi on such a cheap deal, even if it is only one year, was a huge win for the Lions. McNeil will likely be out the first few games next year, and Levi is the perfect player to fill in for him. When McNeil gets back, we have a pretty nasty rotation on the interior.

Lions likely picking up Jameson Williams’ 5th year option.

When asked if the Lions will be picking up the wide receivers’ contract option, Brad said “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.”

It just makes sense to pick up Jameson’s 5th year. After having a 1,000 yard season, easily the best of his career, it seems the Lions and Jamo want to build on that.

What does this mean for the future?

Look, Lions fans have never been in this position before. Your team is essentially so good, you can’t afford to add any other players. Now, there are some obvious ways around this, such as restructures *cough* Goff *cough* or cuts. However, there aren’t many ‘cap casualty’ candidates, as the Lions highest paid players are their best players. Graham Glasgow and Kalif Raymond are really the only guys that would make sense, and wouldn’t be a significant loss if it happened. Right now, the Lions are essentially stuck. They cant really do much else to this roster. In the coming years, expect similar free agency classes, sans-Reed, so hopefully Holmes can keep up his drafting voodoo. At this point, that’s probably the only thing keeping us from taking a step back. If Brad misses on our first round pick this year… we may have a real problem. We do have some older guys, like Decker, Ragnow, Anzalone, Reader, and Montgomery, who may not be with the team in the coming years, but that also opens up a hole we would need to fill. I will say, this is somewhat of a good spot to be in. We have our cornerstones locked up, and really just need a few more pieces to make it to the promised land. I am confident in Brad, and this coaching staff, to keep this train on the track.

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