Rumors in Detroit point to conflict between Lions general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell over the club’s offseason approach after a disappointing 9-8 season.
The Lions have lost several key veterans, including linebacker Alex Anzalone, left tackle Taylor Decker, center Graham Glasgow, cornerback Al-Quadin Muhammad, DT Roy Lopez, cornerback Amik Robertson and receiver Kalif Raymond to free agency, and traded quarterback David Montgomery. Detroit, meanwhile, was largely quiet in its acquisitions, handing out a number of mid- to low-end one-year contracts. Center Cade Mays’ three-year, $25 million contract was the only significant addition made this offseason.
Given the context, some conflict between the coach and GM might be understandable, especially given last season’s struggles and the apparent intersection. However, in a lengthy sit-down with “The Lions Collective Podcast,” Holmes dismissed any rift or rift between the organization’s two most important people.
“I think the only strength I would say is just when you have a disappointing season like we had, it’s more intense in terms of, I think what I talked about at the end of the season press conference is that it’s a deeper, tougher top-to-bottom look at everything,” Holmes said, via MLive.com. “And that’s what Dan and I have done in sync. So that would be the only strength that was probably a little bit further because you get that eye opener, it’s like, ‘Hey, wait now.’
“So I’d say that’s the strength, that’s what’s going on. I don’t know where the other stuff came from, but no, I mean, if anything, it’s me and Dan in total lock like we’ve always been, and we’re just looking at everything from top to bottom, which we’ve already done and that we’ll continue to do for sure.”
This is a fairly simple and expected answer from Holmes. Even if there was a dispute, neither he nor Campbell would escalate the matter by discussing the matter openly.
Holmes and Campbell joined forces in 2021 and led a sweeping turnaround on the perennial doormat. They’ve had disagreements in the past, but insist it’s healthy to keep the organization on track. The Lions’ disappointing 2025 campaign highlights that success is not linear. Trains can derail. The question is whether the Lions’ streak was a complete fluke or simply a minor hiccup, and they’ll return to the postseason in 2026.
The rumored feud stemmed from the Lions adding few key players this offseason despite glaring holes on the offensive line and pass rush. Detroit has mostly added depth pieces despite Campbell’s stated desire following 2025 for more competition on the roster. Holmes maintained that the offseason process is far from over.
“We’re not done yet,” he said. “We’re not done yet. We’ve opened our eyes, leading all the way to the draft. So, it’s not over yet. Now, I don’t have a crystal ball … but no, seriously, we’re still actively looking, still actively talking to player agents. So, we’re not done. Wherever it’s set right now, we’re going to add, and obviously we’re going to add as much as possible with the right guys and then once the draft is over, we’re going to continue to add after the draft, I think we also have a really good process to identify those guys, because that’s the cool thing about the draft, man, there’s some exciting guys that have played a lot of ball, but I still think it’s been slow.”