{"id":269594,"date":"2026-03-17T11:45:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T15:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=269594"},"modified":"2026-03-17T10:49:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:49:10","slug":"are-detroit-lions-fans-turning-on-brad-holmes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/03\/17\/are-detroit-lions-fans-turning-on-brad-holmes\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Detroit Lions Fans Turning On Brad Holmes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFL offseason is in full swing. As always, the action has been fast and furious over the first week of free agency. The league\u2019s salary cap increased to $301.2 million, a leap of $22 million from 2025. Players have cashed in all across the league. The Detroit Lions, however, have mostly watched from the sidelines as hefty contracts were passed out like candy. The team has stood by while numerous key players left town. Lions\u2019 fans hoping to see their team be aggressive and attack the roster\u2019s many needs have been disappointed.<\/a> This offseason was said to be the most important in team history. Apparently, the Lions’ organization didn\u2019t get the memo<\/a>. Fans who were anticipating big moves are becoming restless. Which leads to my question: Are Detroit Lions fans turning on Brad Holmes?<\/span><\/p>\n

Credit Where Credit Is Due<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Before any criticism of GM Brad Holmes takes place, it is imperative to give credit where credit is due. When Holmes took over in 2021, the Lions were a moribund franchise going nowhere. The roster was full of bloated contracts handed out by the previous regime. Detroit had won one playoff game in the Super Bowl era. One. Being tasked with turning the Lions around was an unenviable job that required both diligence and patience. Holmes met that job head-on. He purged the roster of its bad contracts and successfully built a winning football team from scratch.<\/span><\/p>\n

When Holmes took the job, his first task was to find a suitable trade for franchise QB Matthew Stafford. Not exactly an easy proposition. Yet Holmes sent Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams<\/a> for a bevy of draft picks that would become the core of the team. He also acquired Jared Goff<\/a> in that deal. Almost everyone in the NFL had given up on Goff. Holmes did not, and it proved to be a genius decision. Goff, after a rough 2021 season (with very few weapons), has been one of the most productive QBs in the league ever since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Drafting also proved to be another strong suit for Holmes. The 2021-2023 draft classes brought immense talent and hope to the Motor City. Holmes drafted franchise cornerstones like Penei Sewell<\/a> and Aidan Hutchinson<\/a> with his top picks in 2021 and 2022. Adding to the hauls of Holmes\u2019 first two drafts were WR Jameson Williams (whom Holmes traded up to draft in 2022), DT Alim McNeill, S Kerby Joseph, LB Derrick Barnes, and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown<\/a>. Plucking an All-Pro like St. Brown in the fourth round is an amazing feat for any GM.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even with all of the talent Holmes selected in those first two years, his greatest draft magic was in 2023. That stellar class included RB Jahmyr Gibbs, LB Jack Campbell, TE Sam LaPorta, and S Brian Branch. Holmes was widely panned for his picks in 2023. Those who dared criticize Holmes were proven foolish<\/a> in very short order. Holmes had taken only three years to build a juggernaut.<\/span><\/p>\n

Which is why the last two seasons have been absolutely soul-crushing for Lions\u2019 fans.<\/span><\/p>\n

Detroit Lions Officially Arrive In 2023<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Lions announced their arrival to the top tier of the NFL in 2023. After falling just shy of the playoffs the previous year, there would be no denying the Lions in 2023. The team finally put it all together to claim their first-ever NFC North division crown. With a high-flying, exciting offense, the Lions became darlings of the league. Fans everywhere noticed, and Lions\u2019 games quickly became some of the highest-rated televised games in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the Lions beat Stafford and the Rams in the wildcard round, it was Detroit\u2019s first playoff victory in 32 years. After dispatching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> the following week, the Lions were only one win away from their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl. It was not meant to be, as Detroit fell to the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> in the NFC Championship Game.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lions Have Underachieved And Become Stagnant Since<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Since that game, the Lions have underachieved and become stagnant. After a record-setting 2024 season where Detroit finished 15-2 and earned the top seed in the NFC for the first time, the Lions were bounced in their first playoff game. A magical season, one that finally felt like it was the Lions\u2019 time, was over in an instant. Lions\u2019 fans believed, only to suffer more heartache.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year was even worse. Expectations were high once again. It was easy to pin the 2024 flameout on the obscene amount of injuries that befell the Lions. 2025 would be a mission for redemption. Instead, the Lions failed even to reach the playoffs and ended up in the NFC North basement\u2014an unfathomable and inexcusable result for a team with so much talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lions have made a habit of excelling as underdogs but underachieving as favorites. Even in the NFC Championship game at San Francisco, the Lions blew a 24-7 halftime lead. Underdogs to begin the game, the Lions quickly became overwhelming favorites. Once they were expected to win, the rails fell off, and they couldn\u2019t finish the job.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where Is The Urgency?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Championship windows in the NFL aren\u2019t open forever. The Lions clearly entered theirs in 2023. However, even as the past three seasons have ended in disappointment, Holmes has not shown any sense of urgency. Instead, he’s been complacent, <\/a>mistakenly thinking his team was good enough. But in the NFL, there is no such thing as \u201cgood enough.\u201d Teams are constantly evolving and improving.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lions On Standby While Other Teams Make Big Moves<\/h3>\n

Look at the Lions\u2019 own division. The Green Bay Packers<\/a>, already a playoff team, made a colossal trade for Micah Parsons<\/a> before the 2025 season. With Parsons\u2019 help, the Packers leapfrogged the Lions in the standings and won both games against Detroit. The Packers looked like a contender until Parsons tore his ACL in December.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chicago Bear<\/a>s also surpassed the Lions. After naming Ben Johnson as Head Coach, the Bears made several significant moves in free agency to bolster their roster. That aggression led Chicago to the division title and a playoff victory over Green Bay.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even the Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, after also regressing in 2025, made a strong, urgent statement just this past week. After a season of J.J. McCarthy at QB, the Vikings signed Kyler Murray.<\/a> Quarterback was Minnesota\u2019s biggest weakness in 2025, and they clearly upgraded as soon as they could.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the rest of the division has improved, the Lions have not. I get that Holmes has operated with a plan since 2021. However, falling short year after year has not made Holmes budge from his strategy. The failures of 2024 and 2025 remain fresh, and Holmes\u2019 refusal to deviate from his plan is causing him to lose the goodwill he has earned from Lions\u2019 fans. Watching your team stand by idly while the rest of the league improves is difficult. The longer Holmes continues this pattern, the more fans will begin to turn on him. The honeymoon period of his tenure is over. Holmes brought the Lions this far. He needs to show more aggression to get them over the hump.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Lions Lose Several Key Players<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s not like Lions\u2019 fans want Holmes to make moves just to make moves. Detroit\u2019s roster has holes all over.<\/a> The Lions <\/span>need <\/span><\/i>help. Unfortunately, Holmes has shown no interest in most of the big fish available in free agency. In fact, Holmes has stood by as several key Lions have left for other teams. Productive starters like Alex Anzalone, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and Amik Robertson are gone. Holmes has not yet brought in adequate replacements.<\/span><\/p>\n

A team already full of needs now has several more. The Lions had the best RB duo in the NFL with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. One of last year\u2019s fatal mistakes was Detroit’s underutilization of Montgomery. Instead of making D-Mo a focal point in 2026, Holmes traded him to Houston. The team\u2019s biggest strength unnecessarily became a need. Holmes did sign RB Isiah Pacheco<\/a> to help. The former Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> RB\u00a0is coming off two lackluster seasons and looks like a shell of the player he was during his first two years.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Isiah
Main Photo: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Edge Rusher Remains Ignored<\/h3>\n

Fans have been screaming for Holmes to find an edge rusher to pair with Hutchinson for years. Star pass-rushers like Parsons, Trey Hendrickson, and Maxx Crosby have all been available over the last two years. While acquiring superstars is difficult and costly, moves like that can put a team over the edge. The Lions were fortunate to have Muhammad elevate his play in 2025. After a career year, Holmes shockingly allowed Muhammad to go to Tampa on a one-year, $6 million contract. For a player able to reach double-digit sacks, that is an incredible bargain. Muhammad\u2019s comments after leaving<\/a> suggest that the Lions really didn\u2019t show much interest in keeping him. Complacency like that can turn a fan base on its GM.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Lions\u2019 fans were also teased with a possible Maxx Crosby trade,<\/a> only to have Holmes table the negotiations. Crosby was then traded to the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> before the deal fell apart. Many hoped Holmes would rekindle talks with the Raiders. So far, there haven\u2019t been any rumors of the Lions pursuing Crosby.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trey Hendrickson, who has also been linked to Detroit for years, finally hit free agency. The All-Pro edge rusher took Crosby\u2019s place in Baltimore, without so much as a peep of interest shown from Holmes.<\/a> Lions\u2019 fans were again left to wonder \u201cwhat if?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cheaper, yet productive, edge rushers remain unsigned. Jadaveon Clowney<\/a>, my top (hopeful) Lions\u2019 target remaining in free agency,<\/a> is still available. As are Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan. There has been zero indication that Holmes is trying to sign any of them. It is bewildering to Lions\u2019 fans. Holmes\u2019s lack of aggression is inexplicable. People everywhere are noticing.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Left Tackle Still A Huge Question Mark<\/h3>\n

The offensive side has its own share of puzzling inaction. Longtime LT Taylor Decker was released, leaving a huge void at Jared Goff\u2019s blindside. I included former Charger Jamaree Salyer as one of Detroit\u2019s best options before the start of free agency.<\/a> Salyer signed an inexpensive, one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins<\/a>. When Green Bay released its LT, Rasheed Walker, many thought the Lions would move quickly to sign him.<\/a> Nope. Not even a whisper of interest. Yet again, Holmes\u2019s lack of urgency is baffling. The Lions do not have an adequate starter at one of the game\u2019s most important positions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loyal Fan Base <\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Detroit Lions have one of the most passionate and loyal fan bases in the NFL. Through all of the tough times, Lions\u2019 fans have stuck with their team without fail. The love that is shown by the fans is loud and clear at every game, home or away. It is highlighted on television broadcasts. The team is so close to winning a Super Bowl. Simply put, Lions\u2019 fans deserve more from their GM. It is easier to cope with aggressive moves that don\u2019t work out than to wonder why your team is refusing to make moves at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I know I\u2019m being critical of a GM who has built the Lions into a contender. Criticism aside, Holmes is by far the best GM the franchise has ever had. If he can put the finishing touches on this team and finally bring a Super Bowl victory to Detroit, Holmes should have a statue outside Ford Field, as well as a reservation in Canton.<\/span><\/p>\n

Holmes has driven the Detroit Lions to the cusp of The Promised Land. Now is not the time for him to take his foot off the gas pedal. If he continues his pattern of choosing not to take any risks, and the Lions continue to underachieve, Holmes is in danger of losing the fan base. That would be a shame, as Brad Holmes is a terrific GM. His legacy in Detroit, however, hinges on whether he can get the Lions over that final hump.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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