Category: Front Office

Two Lions execs represented in the NFL’s front office diversity program

Lions execs Ray Agnew and Mike Martin are represented in the NFL’s front office diversity program this week in Dallas

The NFL announced the roster of talent that will participate in the annual front office accelerator program for minority candidates. Two Detroit Lions staffers are among the rising and aspiring execs gathering in greater Dallas this week for the program.

Lions Assistant GM Ray Agnew and Director of Scouting Advancement Mike Martin are hoping to parlay participation in the program into higher-level jobs. For Agnew, that means becoming a general manager.

Agnew has already been receiving buzz as a potential GM candidate for the upcoming offseason. He came to Detroit from the Los Angeles Rams with Lions GM Brad Holmes.

Martin is also in his fourth season with the Lions. He was a well-respected scout for several teams, notably the Houston Texans, before joining the Lions. His role with the Lions is coordinating the pro and college scouting departments and staffs, a good precursory role for becoming a GM as well. That’s what Holmes did with the Rams before being hired in 2021 by the Lions.

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Lions’ front office ranked high in recent survey from The Athletic

The Lions front office ranked high in recent survey from The Athletic, cracking the top 5

The Brad Holmes era as general manager of the Detroit Lions has been a very good one to date. The team is strongly considered a Super Bowl contender thanks to Holmes’ ability to shape the roster and work with head coach Dan Campbell.

Holmes and the Lions’ front office earned some flowers in a recent survey done by The Athletic. 40 NFL executives and coaches ranked their top five front offices. Based on the points system used, the Lions were voted as the 5th-best front office.

The poll used a 10-7-5-3-1 scoring system. The Lions did not receive any first-place votes but did end up with 62 total points and appeared on 20 of the 40 ballots.

Holmes, who took over in 2021, helped guide the Lions to one of the best seasons in franchise history last year.

As one general manager put it: “If you asked: Who is the No. 1 GM in the league right now, this minute? It might be him. I love the demeanor, love what he stands for.”

Holmes and Campbell see things through the same lens, which has helped the GM acquire the types of players who will fare well for Campbell. They’ve built a roster that appears tough, selfless and talented.

“Detroit has done a great job of figuring out their style and getting guys who fit that in the draft and free agency” an NFC executive said.
Holmes’ first-round picks include right tackle Penei Sewell, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, wideout Jameson Williams, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, linebacker Jack Campbell and cornerback Terrion Arnold. The Lions have built one of the best offensive lines in the league and have revitalized quarterback Jared Goff by building around him.

This was hardly a small-scale rebuild for an organization that had one playoff victory in the Super Bowl era before the new regime’s arrival, and Holmes brought a turnaround in a remarkably short time. When building out the roster, Campbell has said he wants players who would have been great teammates during his playing career, and Holmes has delivered.

“Detroit has done a nice job building it in their own image, which is unique to everybody else,” an executive said.

The only teams ranked higher than the Lions were the Ravnes (15 first-place votes), Chiefs (13), 49ers (3) and Eagles (5). The Seahawks, Rams, Steelers and Cowboys also received a first-place vote each.

Lions hire Cardinals analytics manager to replace Brandon Sosna

Lions hire Cardinals analytics manager Charlie Adkins to replace Brandon Sosna in the Detroit front office

Even with the team being largely on the summer break after OTAs and minicamp, the Detroit Lions have made an important addition to the front office.

The Lions are bringing in Charlie Adkins to the front office. Adkins has been the manager of football analytics and research for the Arizona Cardinals.

He will be replacing Brandon Sosna, who left Detroit earlier this offseason to join the Washington Commanders. While Sosna was known primarily for his work on contracts in Detroit, he also did some analytical research work for the Lions as well.

Adkins spent seven years with the Cardinals is a variety of football operations roles.

Chris Spielman reveals the Brad Holmes ‘villain’ story

Chris Spielman reveals the origin of the Brad Holmes “Villain” story

Back at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Lions GM Brad Holmes made waves by wearing a fashionable white hoodie with the word “villain” in a distinct font. Holmes himself has never really talked about the meaning behind the villain, only hinting here and there.

It appears we finally have the origin story for the villain mantra. It comes courtesy of Lions special assistant and team legend Chris Spielman.

Chris joined his brother Rick, a longtime NFL exec and former GM of the Minnesota Vikings, on a recent episode of the CBS Sports podcast “With the First Pick,” where Rick is a co-host. A discussion about draft concepts and positional value got Chris to give up the villainry.

“Everybody said, ‘Oh my gosh, you took a running back?’ Well, yeah, we did, but Jahmyr is going to be much more than a running back,” Chris Spielman said. “It’s been reported that he’s got some wide receiver skills. Rick (Spielman), you saw him at Alabama plenty. He has some wide receiver skills, so he’s a matchup nightmare.”

Chris Spielman continued,

“So you’re drafting a football player, and you’re drafting a running back that can also be a little bit of a slot guy. So you’re drafting a guy that’s a problem. That’s when Brad — you ever see those shirts that just say ‘villain’? Jahmyr can be a villain for another team. So you draft these villains.”

Gibbs did indeed steal some opposing ankles, souls and wins for the Lions as a rookie. Spielman’s explanation definitely passes the sniff test. The entire episode with the brothers Spielman is a very worthwhile listen, too.

Report: Lions exec Brandon Sosna heading to the Commanders

Report: Lions exec Brandon Sosna heading to the Commanders front office

A report from Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network indicates the Detroit Lions are set to lose rising star Brandon Sosna from the team’s front office. Per Garafolo, Sonsa is heading to Washington to join the Commanders front office in a “high-ranking role.”

Sosna, just 31, has served as the Lions’ Senior Director of Football Administration in the Brad Holmes regime. He was responsible for strategic planning among his primary duties in Detroit.

Sosna will reunite with Lance Newmark, who left the Lions front office earlier this offseason to join the Commanders.

Lions GM Brad Holmes joins The Rich Eisen Show to talk 2024 expectations, Jahmyr Gibbs and more

Lions GM Brad Holmes has high expectations for Jahmyr Gibbs in 2024 which Holme shared on the Rich Eisen Show

It’s been a busy off-season for Detroit Lions General Manager Brad Holmes. He was active in free agency by adding players such as Marcus Davenport, Amik Robertson, Carlton Davis and others.

In addition to that, Holmes had the 2024 NFL Draft and contract extensions signed by Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Jared Goff. Holmes joined Rich Eisen on his show to discuss these contract extensions, the expectations of the 2024 season and more.

When asked about Jahmyr Gibbs, it felt and looked like Holmes got excited talking about his skill-set and the value he provides the Lions offense. In the clip above, Holmes said, “…I would defintely expect to him (Gibbs) see more of a load. But you know, David Montgomery will still be here too. We love, Dan and I, love that 1-2 punch of he and David.” Then Holmes went into detail about Gibbs playing too fast and having to slow the game down.

He said, “speaking of him (Gibbs) specifically, him being a rookie last year, he had some pops in that KC game, in that opener, I was watching and I was like, ya know, he’s still trying to get the feel of the game. He was playing very fast and had to slow down a little bit. He openly admitted that he had to slow down a little bit and that he was going too fast. Once he got that sweet spot, it was right about there, you kinda saw it a little bit in that Ravens, which unfortunately we didn’t show up very well for that game. But that’s when we saw those glimpses in that game and then obviously that Raiders game. I would say was that breakout and okay, the game is slowing down for him.”

For the entire interview, you can listen and watch it using the link below:

Brad Holmes praises the value of the ‘lone wolf’ in the draft evaluation process

Lions GM Brad Holmes praises the value of the ‘lone wolf’ in Detroit’s draft evaluation process

One of the big selling points in the Lions hiring process for GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell back in 2021 was their strong commitment to consensus building. The team-building process is a collaborative effort between the coaches, scouts and front office.

So far, that willingness to listen to different voices in the draft process has served the Lions very well. Yet sometimes, the consensus isn’t always an easy arrival. Holmes called it being a lone wolf, and discussed why he likes not having universal agreement on every prospect or choice.

In his pre-draft press conference, Holmes talked about one situation in the 2023 draft where he and Campbell were out on their own against the rest of the draft room consensus.

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“Sometimes I am the lone wolf. I might be the lone wolf. I’ll tell you, me and Dan (Campbell) were the lone wolves on a player that we took last year and it worked out. We loved the player. The rest of the group was like, ‘No, no, no, get this guy,’ at the same position.”

Holmes refused a later request to identify which player he and Campbell were the lone wolves on. He did elaborate more on the value of having dissenting voices and opinions in the draft process.

“So, if I am the lone wolf and everybody else is completely different than me, no one really knows what I think and I am listening to everybody, I am like, ‘Man, I need to go back and look. I missed something,’ and I have the confidence and the humility to do that because I have so much respect for the process. It’s an art form.”

Holmes continued,

“The best thing about scouting is you get 20 people, 10 people, however many, looking at the same film in a dark room and you have 10 different opinions. That’s what’s awesome about it.”

The GM has the humility and balance to understand the checks and balances in place to prevent a lone wolf from being a rogue wolf.

“So, when I am the lone wolf, and everybody is the opposite, I am like, ‘Man, I need to look back and see if I missed something.’ If hear the lone wolf that matched up with what I thought, I am like, ‘Well, at least that person saw it, but everybody else still was the same.’ It just depends – but if I saw something that the rest of the group said, and the lone wolf said something different, oh, damn right I am going to go back and look and see because that person is in the room for a reason and I have got a lot of respect for that person’s evaluations,” Holmes concluded.

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Lions release a statement on Cam Sutton’s arrest warrant

Lions release a statement on Cam Sutton’s arrest warrant

As speculation and anxiety swirls around cornerback Cam Sutton, the Detroit Lions have issued a formal statement on the situation.

Sutton is wanted by authorities in Florida in connection to a domestic assault situation on March 7th involving his girlfriend. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office posted a warrant for Sutton’s arrest on social media in hopes of locating Sutton, who was not at the scene when police arrived and remains unable to be located.

The entirety of the Lions statement on Wednesday afternoon,

“We became aware of the ongoing legal situation involving Cam Sutton this morning. We will continue to monitor the situation and will not have further comment at this time.”

It’s important to note that various members of the Lions front office are spread out across the country at college pro days.

Aaron Donald draft evaluation has deep ties to the Lions front office

The Rams hit on Aaron Donald thanks to evaluation and advocacy by Lions assistant GM Ray Agnew

The wildly off-base scouting report on the now-retired Aaron Donald went viral last week. What was also discussed was how the Los Angeles Rams took a chance on an undersized defensive lineman after a dominant Senior Bowl performance.

The main reason the Rams took the Pittsburgh Panther? One talent evaluator pounded the table for him to be drafted.

That evaluator was Ray Agnew who was with the Rams at the time and would eventually become their Director of Pro Personnel. Agnew decided to move east when his friend and co-worker Brad Holmes would leave the Rams to become the general manager of the Lions. He now serves as Holmes assistant general manager and has helped craft some of the best draft classes in the entire NFL since they joined forces in the Motor City.

Coming off arguably the best draft class of their tenure, the Holmes and Agnew-led front office now hopes to have a strong repeat performance this April. The Lions currently have the 29th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and have seven selections in total.

How much cap room the Lions have available to spend in free agency

How much salary cap room do the Detroit Lions have available to spend at the start of free agency?

As free agency kicks off with the legal tampering period ahead of the official start of the new NFL calendar year on Wednesday, March 13th, it’s a good time to look at just how much the Detroit Lions have available to spend. GM Brad Holmes, COO Mike Disner and the Lions front office have assembled a decent war chest to spend in free agency, if they so choose.

The two leading cap room authorities, Over the Cap and Spotrac, have pretty different figures for the Lions as of 11 a.m. on Match 11th.

Over the Cap calculates the Lions to have exactly $45,278,103 in available cap room. Their figure includes recent contracts to returning Lions Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Emmanuel Moseley and Michael Badgley.

Spotrac has the Lions with about $2 million more in cap room, at $47,412,723. Neither site includes Monday’s deal to re-sign RG Graham Glasgow, nor do they appear to include the upcoming rookie wage pool for draft picks. That would drop the figure down to around $36.8 million based on the Lions picking in their current draft slots.

That’s a healthy amount to take to the free agency negotiations. The Lions rank in the top 10 overall in available cap room. This particular Lions regime has been enthusiastic about buying more cap room by adding void years onto bigger contracts. Those shift some of the cap hit to a later time, allowing more immediate flexibility and availability of funds.

It’s also worth noting the report from Justin Rogers of the Detroit News regarding the philosophy Holmes & Co. value in team-building,

Teams aim to leave a buffer for future accounting costs. For example, only the top 51 salaries are included in the cap calculation during the offseason, but once the regular season hits, the full 53-man roster, plus the 16-man practice squad, count. Additionally, teams have to be prepared for injuries and additions, whether via free agency, waivers or trades. Detroit’s organizational preference is to leave between $15-20 million in funds.

That’s not a terribly uncommon strategy; many teams keep an in-season “slush fund” to deal with the inevitable injuries and practice squad transactions, among other things. The $15-20 million Rogers cites would certainly be on the higher end of any NFL team, however.

Let’s work off the $15 million figure for the in-season cushion. That would leave the Lions with around $22 million to spend in free agency. Keep in mind that includes internal re-signings like Glasgow, as well as any potential contract extensions to players like Amon-Ra St. Brown or Jared Goff.