Lions GM Brad Holmes inspires change on the field and off
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Dan Graziano gives props to Dan Campbell and says the Lions are right where they left off last season. (0:55)
Eric Woodyard
Sep 24, 2025, 06:00 AM ET
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DETROIT -- Two weeks after putting the final touches on the Detroit Lions' 2025 NFL draft, Brad Holmes returned to his old stomping grounds.
Draped in full black academic regalia, the 46-year-old Lions executive vice president and general manager was addressing the graduates at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T, as the HBCU's commencement speaker. He didn't want to miss the opportunity to inspire change.
Speaking from behind a glass lectern at the First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, Holmes delivered a powerful message to the 1,600-plus graduates.
"Choose your hard," Holmes emphasized on the stage. "However, you slice it, whichever path you choose, it's going to be hard. And I tell our scouts that 'til this day: It's hard to be detailed and go the extra mile, dot every I, cross every T. It's also hard not to go the extra mile and be detailed and thorough.
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"That shortcut may feel good in the short term, but life's gonna catch [up] with you."
Holmes knows all about taking the hard road. When he was hired as GM of the Lions in 2021, the franchise was coming off a 5-11 season, it hadn't been to the playoffs since 2016 and hadn't won a postseason game since 1991. Since 2021, Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have led one of the more remarkable turnarounds in recent memory, leading the once laughingstock Lions to consecutive playoff appearances in 2023 and 2024, which included an NFC Championship Game appearance in 2023 and a franchise-record 15 wins last season -- nearly all fueled by players Holmes drafted, signed or acquired.
But a winner in Detroit isn't the only thing Holmes is focused on inspiring. He is one of six Black GMs in the NFL -- along with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings), Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears), Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns), Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins) and Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons) -- and one of a handful in the league's history. Recognizing the rarity of the opportunity he has in Detroit, Holmes is conscientious about trying to change the makeup of NFL front offices. When he was hired in Detroit, he brought in Ray Agnew and Mike Martin to assume prominent roles on his staff. And in 2014, he helped create the Wally Triplett Fellowship to help minority college students get introduced to careers in football outside of playing and coaching.
Holmes does this all while standing on the shoulders of the men who came before him such as former Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome and former New York Giants GM Jerry Reese, who have lent their support at different mileposts along his long road to Detroit -- a city whose history gives his position extra significance. He also understands the way to impact the lasting change he hopes to see -- like Newsome and Reese -- by continuing to win on the field and achieving his goal of bringing Detroit its first Super Bowl title.
"It's a responsibility that I don't take lightly," Holmes told ESPN at the NFL's annual meetings in April. "I love that it's here in Detroit, that's a very diverse city. It's a Black city. I love that we can be deeply rooted in our culture, so I wouldn't want it in any other place."
Holmes was honored to be the commencement speaker at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T, in May. Junfu Han/Imagn Images
ON JAN. 14, 2021, the Lions organization reached a unanimous decision.
After interviewing at least a dozen internal and external candidates for the vacant general manager position, Detroit's four-person group of Rod Wood (CEO/president), Chris Spielman (special assistant to the CEO/president), Mike Disner (chief operating officer) and team owner Sheila Ford Hamp decided Holmes was their guy.
At 41 years old, Holmes became the second Black GM in team history, following Martin Mayhew, who held the post from 2009 to 2015.
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"When we were interviewing and hiring Brad, I wasn't thinking of him as being African American or anything else. I was just thinking of who's the best person for the job," Wood told ESPN. "And if teams go into any of their hiring decisions looking for the best person and quit focusing on other things, there will be great opportunities for more people of color to be coaches and to be general managers."
Although the NFL adopted the Rooney Rule in 2003 to increase opportunities for minority executives, general managers and head coaches, Wood wasn't fixated on that policy. With just eight wins over the previous two seasons, Wood said Detroit was looking for the "best possible person." Holmes' football expertise -- particularly his scouting, drafting and development strategy -- coupled with his leadership and communication skills blew the hiring committee away, convincing it he was the one to lead the culture shift and full roster rebuild Detroit required.
"One thing that was unique about him, in terms of where we were as an organization, that I was aware of, and Brad wasn't, is that [former Lions quarterback] Matthew Stafford wanted to be traded," Wood said. "I really wanted someone who had demonstrated excellent drafting."
Holmes had spent 18 seasons in the Rams' front office, where he climbed into the executive ranks of the NFL from the bottom rung. He started as a public relations intern in 2003. He moved to the scouting department and eventually became the organization's director of college scouting, where he was pivotal in drafting quarterback Jared Goff, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and wide receiver Cooper Kupp -- players who built the foundation for the Rams' Super Bowl appearances in 2019 and 2022. Although Holmes was in his first season in Detroit when Los Angeles beat the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, Rams GM Les Snead still credits Holmes for helping construct the roster.
In Detroit, his gift for talent evaluation has continued. Six of the Lions Holmes has drafted have been selected to a Pro Bowl (wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, safety Brian Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta) -- the most of any team in the NFL over that span, per ESPN Research. The team's success on the field has grown in proportion to the number of Holmes-selected players on the roster. The Lions went from a 3-13-1 record in his and Campbell's first year in charge to 9-8 in 2022 to 12-5 in 2023 to a record-setting 15-2 mark in 2024.
Brad Holmes won over Lions owner Sheila Ford (front) and team president Rod Wood (far right) during the interview process with his football expertise, leadership and communication skills. Junfu Han/Imagn Images
On draft day, Holmes is known to buck tradition, according to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid. He has shown a willingness to select players based on their possible impact instead of prioritizing draft and consensus rankings. In the 2023 draft, he traded the sixth pick to the Arizona Cardinals for picks Nos. 12 and 18. With those selections, he stunned draft experts by selecting Gibbs, a running back out of Alabama, and off-ball Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell higher than either was projected.
Holmes pointed out that each player filled a direct team need at the time. Since making the picks, he has been vindicated by the results: Gibbs quickly emerged as one of the league's best offensive threats, leading the NFL in touchdowns (20) while finishing third in all-purpose yards (1,929) last season. Campbell has been a rock in the middle of the defense. He finished eighth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2023 and has started in 32 of his 37 career games.
"One thing I love about [Holmes] is he doesn't care where he gets his guys, but he identifies where those guys are and he simply takes them," Reid said. "And he identifies those guys that are Detroit Lions and embody everything about them.
"... He doesn't really care about what the consensus is about guys' draft positional value or whatever that may be. He identifies the guys that check the boxes of the characteristics that the Lions are looking for and if they're a culture fit, it doesn't matter if that's in the first round, the fourth round, the seventh round or whatever, he's gonna go out and get his guys."
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Holmes has also been unafraid to make big trades and fill needs through free agency. Months into getting the Lions job, he traded Stafford -- the Lions' franchise leader in completions, attempts, passing yards and touchdowns -- to the Rams for Goff.
Stafford helped Los Angeles win the Super Bowl in his first year there, but Goff -- who came to Detroit at a low point in his career -- has emerged as his heir apparent. Holmes has brought in other key players such as former Bears running back David Montgomery, signing him to a three-year, $18 million deal in March 2023. In Detroit, Montgomery has formed the league's most productive backfield with Gibbs.
When one of his players breaks out, as part of his strategy to keep the cupboard stocked into the future, Holmes is quick to lock them down with long-term contract extensions. Over the past two seasons, Sewell, St. Brown and Goff have all signed new deals, with Hutchinson next in line.
The full force of Holmes' vision was on display in the Lions' 38-30 victory at the Ravens on Monday night. Gibbs and Montgomery ran for two touchdowns each. St. Brown caught a TD and a critical fourth-down reception to salt the game away. And the defense, led by Hutchinson and Al-Quadin Muhammad -- a practice squad signing last October -- sacked Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seven times, including 2.5 by Muhammad.
"It's really cool because I'm a Detroit Lions fan even though there's maybe gonna be moments during the course of a season where you're gonna have to pull against him or you're gonna play them and want to beat them," Snead said.
"Even having Jared Goff there to an extent is really cool to pull for them and the really unique [thing] is now being a Detroit Lions fan from afar, you actually expect them to win, and they win the majority of the time," he said. "So, that's the thing you appreciate and hope that when someone is in your ecosystem."
Jahmyr Gibbs (0) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) are just two of the players drafted by Holmes who have become stars for the Lions. Junfu Han/Imagn Images
WHEN NEWS BROKE of Holmes' hire, congratulatory calls and text messages flooded his phone. Reese, the first Black GM to win a Super Bowl, was one of them. Although he didn't know Holmes personally, he wanted to lend his support.
"It's your turn to take us higher," Reese texted Holmes.
Reese knew the significance of sharing the message. After becoming the third Black GM in NFL history with the Giants, legendary Georgetown basketball coach John Thompson surprised him with a call the day after the news was announced.
"I never talked to him, never had a conversation, you just knew he was a basketball coach for the Hoyas. He called me and said, 'Jerry, congratulations on getting the job.' I was saying stuff like, 'I'm gonna do my best,'" Reese recalled. "He was like, 'Nah, you can't fail.' So, I wore that like a badge of honor for him to call me because he did [not] know me to call but he reached out to me and now I understand what he was trying to tell me."
In 2002, Newsome became the first African American to become a GM in NFL history, followed by Houston's Rick Smith in 2006, then Reese in 2007. Their legacy inspires Holmes.
Newsome, whose Ravens won in 2000 and 2012, and Reese, whose Giants triumphed in 2007 and 2011, are the only ones in the group to lift the Lombardi Trophy. However, Reese sees a possible similar trajectory for Holmes, who once cut out an image of Newsome hoisting the Lombardi Trophy to his vision board as a goal, in Detroit.
Former New York Giants GM Jerry Reese has served as a role model for Holmes. Matthew Emmons/Imagn Images
"Brad really came up in an old-school way. He earned his way to the top to where he is right now," Reese said. "Some guys can kind of manipulate the system with kind of a who you know kind of thing, but Brad has done it the right way, by working his way up and getting his shot."
When the time came to fill out his staff, Holmes sought out a number of Black front-office candidates who he knew were ready for larger roles. Among them, Agnew, a former NFL player, who Holmes picked to be his assistant GM. Agnew had spent four years as the director of pro scouting with the Rams, working alongside Holmes, in addition to 18 seasons on the Rams scouting staff after his playing days ended in 2000.
"Me and him have spent a lot of late nights watching tape, trying to figure it out," Agnew said of working with Holmes.
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Holmes also tabbed Mike Martin to lead Holmes' newly created scouting advancement department in 2021 -- a unit focused on enhanced scouting in the college and pro ranks. This offseason, Martin left to accept a position as Notre Dame football's general manager.
"I just try to make sure guys are in a position to succeed," said Holmes, who also credits the Fritz Pollard Alliance for helping him and other minority candidates earn opportunities in coaching, front office and scouting staff roles. "And look, they've gotta be qualified. Black, white, brown, purple ... whatever color. They've gotta be qualified and good regardless."
As Holmes' influence grows in the Lions' front office, so will his reach across the league, according to Troy Vincent, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, who added Holmes' and his peers' success on the field would inspire other teams to consider Black candidates the next time they are filling positions in their front office.
"They become great examples," Vincent said.
"So, when that time comes [during] that cycle ... he may be able to say, 'Hey, here's someone.' Or as we know, who comes from whose tree and that's a big one. Eventually, Brad will be producing his own."
To help his tree set deeper roots, Holmes helped launch the Wally Triplett Fellowship in the fall of 2024 -- a program designed to give two minority college students the opportunity to experience professional sports and find their niche in front offices. It's named to recognize the contributions of Lions legend Wally Triplett, the first African American draftee to play for an NFL team in 1949. The program focuses on four six-month rotations to ensure that participants are exposed to different roles throughout the Lions' organization.
Wally Trplett, the first Black draftee to play for an NFL team, inspired Holmes to start the Wally Triplett Foundation, which helps minority college students get introduced to careers in football outside of playing and coaching. AP Photo
Students Alexis Williams (Notre Dame) and Myles Gresham (Saginaw Valley State) are the two fellows working in their second year of the two-year program. The departments they've worked in include marketing, stadium events, team operations, corporate partnerships and community relations.
"It's so many paths that you can take, and it doesn't have to be just playing or coaching," Holmes said. "... We need more Black [team] presidents. So, what can we do on our part to give others opportunities to become a [team] president?
"Do all these rotations to give these experiences outside of just coaching and scouting so those were some of the things we wanted to do to make sure we were giving other kids a chance."
Holmes knows his influence extends outside of front offices as well. Many on the Lions team see his example as something to aspire to, or at least appreciate, making the relationship between the players and front office feel closer for both.
"You look at an NFL roster and the majority of it is African American players," Holmes said. "So, just to be able to relate, connect with them, talk with them ... and I just think that it's good to see for younger generations. So, just as I was looking to an Ozzie Newsome and a Jerry Reese and Rick Smith, hopefully I can be that same model for that younger generation."
According to St. Brown, the players feel a connection to Holmes beyond just football; there's a respect level that is understood inside the locker room.
"I think it's dope to be in the city of Detroit, where there's already so many Black people," said St. Brown, a 2021 fourth-round selection out of USC. "It's awesome because I feel like the sports that we play, football and basketball, are predominantly Black.
"So, to have people that are in charge to be Black is awesome and especially in Detroit because there's so much culture," he said, "there's so much history that comes from the city."
The jerseys worn by the Lions' front office and coaches during Day 3 of this year's draft to honor their GM. Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions
A DAY 3 draft tradition continued inside the Lions' war room on April 26, when the front office honored Holmes at the Meijer Performance Center.
To celebrate Holmes being announced as North Carolina A&T's commencement speaker the following May, Wood gifted team brass, including Dan Campbell and members of the front office, coaching and player personnel departments with Holmes' No. 95 college jerseys to wear while making picks that day.
In 2024, they all wore matching all-black jerseys that featured Dan Campbell's Lions' No. 89.
Holmes' support of HBCUs is deep-rooted, as is the bond he shares with the NFL's five other Black GMs. Despite being direct competitors at times, Holmes likes to connect with all of them.
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"One thing that stands out is how open and humble Brad is, even though he's in a competitive space. When I first transitioned into this role, he was one of the first people to reach out to offer encouragement and support," said Adofo-Mensah, whose teams are 36-18 since being hired by Minnesota in 2022. "That meant a lot and speaks to the kind of person he is. We both are the types of competitors that want everyone to bring their best and see if our best is enough and I value that in our relationship."
Grier and Berry could particularly relate to Holmes being tasked with turning around a franchise with a long recent history of struggles as a first-time GM. The Dolphins hadn't reached the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons before Grier took over as GM in 2016; they reached the wild-card round in his first season. Cleveland hadn't been to the playoffs since 2002 when Berry was hired ahead of the 2020 season; it reached the playoffs, and won a game, in Year 1 of his watch.
"We're all very conscious because we know we don't get these opportunities often and when they come, you know the burden, but you try to do the best job for the organization and what you're doing and representing but also know what the standard is," Grier said.
Adofo-Mensah, who worked under Berry in Cleveland, also added that "there's a responsibility that comes with representation, especially in a space where people who look like us haven't traditionally had many opportunities.
"It's not just about holding the position," Adofo-Mensah said. "It's about doing it in a way that opens doors for others. I feel gratitude, but also a deep sense of purpose. I hope my journey helps inspire or prepare the next wave of leaders."
Since Day 1, Holmes has been committed to doing the same. For those past and present who have witnessed his climb up the ranks, his success on and off the field is no surprise.
"I've always respected Brad's perseverance, work ethic and vision -- going far back to when he first began scouting with the Rams," Newsome said. "While his merits as an evaluator are well-documented, I think it's his unique ability to inspire people and build strong culture that resonates most.
"Detroit has seen this firsthand over the past few years, and I'd expect Brad to continue making his mark on this league well into the future."
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Lingering Bills questions amid historic run on turnover margin
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Rich Eisen debates whether the Bills will finish the season with the NFL's best record or if the Dolphins will end up with the league's worst. (1:38)
Alaina Getzenberg
Sep 23, 2025, 06:00 AM ET
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Terrel Bernard has been on top of the ball for two key fourth quarter takeaways three weeks into the Buffalo Bills season. The first was a game-changing fumble recovery against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 1. The second largely ended the game vs. the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night and kept the Bills undefeated to start the season.
"The ball is the most important thing," Bernard said. "And we know it's not going to be perfect. Offenses around the league are good. That's a known fact. But for us, it comes down to taking the ball away, especially in the critical moments of the game. That's something that we preach and something that we believe in and something that we've been pretty good at. And I think that's just the philosophy of who we are."
The team has not lost the turnover margin for 25 straight games, an NFL record.
The ups and downs during the 31-21 win over the Dolphins showcased just how important that number proved to be. The offense had strong moments but also stalled for a couple of drives in the third quarter. The defense couldn't get off the field for much of the game -- allowing Miami to convert 10/15 third downs and score a touchdown on all three red zone trips.
But the turnover margin proves significant. Yes, the defense -- with pressure on the play by rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker -- had a major play in taking the ball away. In ways, the offense not giving the ball away has proved just as important.
"You get what you emphasize most of the time," coach Sean McDermott said. "A wise coach once told me that, 'If you don't emphasize it, don't expect to get it.'... You never take it for granted. [The turnover margin] is one of the more convincing stats that leads to winning football games."
Buffalo is one of three teams to not have a turnover (Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) after finishing last season with the fewest turnovers in the league (eight). On top of that, the Bills have gone eight straight games without committing a turnover, including playoffs, tied with the 2024 Chiefs for the longest streak without committing a turnover since 1933 when stats were fully recorded.
That stems, in large part, from quarterback Josh Allen's continued development. No player had more turnovers from 2018-23 than Allen (102).
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"I couldn't be more proud, happy of the way he's really learned the game, and become a really good decision maker," McDermott said. "He understands the game that takes place within the game. And not everybody can get themselves to that level. And I think Josh Allen continues to show why he is who is. In my 25 years or more in this league, very rarely do you get a chance to witness what we in Buffalo have had a chance to witness. And it's pretty special."
The New Orleans Saints are next up on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS) with the Bills sitting as early 15.5-point favorites, per ESPN BET.
While lots of positives can be taken away from the first three games, the Week 3 performance highlighted issues that the team needs to correct -- specifically on third down. The Dolphins gained 6.8 yards on third down and put together three touchdown drives of nine-plus plays, including a 16-play drive at the end of the second quarter during which the Dolphins converted five third downs.
"It was tough," nickel corner Taron Johnson said about third downs. "Some of them he was getting out. Some of them we weren't plastering well, I mean, we got to be better at the end of the day. But we will, we'll figure it out. I'm just happy we got the dub."
The good news for the Bills' defense is that the execution on first and second downs was strong, forcing 15 third downs and one fourth down. In contrast, the Dolphins averaged just 3.7 yards per play on first and second downs.
"To get 'em into 16 third and fourth downs, that's excellent, but we got to get off the field and our guys know it's not good enough," defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. "We knew it the whole game and certainly I'll do everything I can to put 'em in position to do that and do a better job there."
This is also a unit that has reinforcements coming at some point. Both defensive tackle Ed Oliver (left ankle) and linebacker Matt Milano (pectoral) missed the game with injuries, but were not placed on injured reserve, positive signs for their eventual returns.
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First-round pick cornerback Maxwell Hairston (right LCL sprain) will be eligible to return to practice after this week. Defensive end Michael Hoecht and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi are both eligible to return to the team facility next week, while they serve out their suspensions for violating the NFL's policy on performance enhancing drugs through Week 6.
The timing of young players playing and others returning and meshing with the defense will be a challenge as the season progresses.
"I have a vision, we have a vision for it," McDermott said. "And again, the vision is, it's exciting, yet at the same time there's going to be growth moments, right, good and bad, where you have to endure it to get yourself where you want to be. I'm excited about that. Development of players, development of getting young players integrated and trying to get our team elevated with their help is exciting. And so, there's a delicate balance to that, though, too, of making sure that they're ready enough to play but not hurt the team to where it would cost, you know, a game, essentially."
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