Brad Holmes General Manager of Detroit Lions is Gone Due To……
In the NFL, Brad Holmes has become one of the top general managers quite rapidly. However, in his own section, how highly does he rank among the key front-office decision-makers?
Now let’s look at All Lions’ ranking of the general managers in the NFL North.
4.) Bears’ Ryan Poles
In 2022, Poles and the Vikings’ general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, assumed their respective positions. Thus, it was difficult to decide between the two. But since Adofo-Mensah has already won a division championship and made it to the playoffs, I decided to go with Poles in this position and the Minnesota executive at No. 3.
In ’22, the Poles assumed an enviable position, taking over a squad that had finished 6-11 the year before and had difficulty stopping the opposition and scoring points. As the team’s starting signal-caller, he inherited Justin Fields, but he quickly discovered he wasn’t the right man for the position in the Windy City.
In the recent April NFL Draft, Poles deserve praise for letting go of the Ohio State prospect and selecting Blake Williams with the first overall selection. I also give the Chicago general manager credit for putting in a ton of effort to strengthen his defense last offseason by signing free-agent contracts with Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Additionally, he made a noteworthy trade deadline acquisition of EDGE rusher Montez Sweat from the Commanders last year.
The Bears are now, in my opinion, in a good position to finish as the third-best team in the division after Poles overhauled the squad.
3.) Vikings, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
The hiring of head coach Kevin O’Connell by Adofo-Mensah during his 2022–2023 Vikings stint is arguably his most significant move. The squad won 13 games and the NFC North in 2022 thanks in large part to O’Connell’s coaching.
For keeping the Vikings afloat after former Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his ACL in Week 8 against the Packers, I’ll give Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell credit. The Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs to Adofo-Mensah, who was decent for a while. And with Dobbs, Jaren Hall, and Nick Mullens behind center in Cousins’ absence, the Vikings managed to remain competitive towards the end of the season.
Since then, Cousins left the team and signed a free agent contract with the Falcons. In the meantime, Adofo-Mensah was quite busy over the offseason, signing free-agent contracts with veterans Jonathan Greenard, Sam Arnold, and Aaron Jones. In the first round of the selection held in April of this year, he also selected former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy and former Alabama defensive end Dallas Turner.
The Vikings, who are obviously in a rebuilding phase as opposed to a win-now mindset, will probably be the weakest team in the NFC North come playoff time. But with his slew of offseason additions, Adofo-Mensah has at least given the Vikes a fighting chance to be competitive every week.
2.) Packers’ Brian Gutekunst
I would have easily chosen Gutekunst to be the NFC North’s best general manager if it weren’t for Brad Holmes.
The front-office executive from Green Bay has done a masterful job building a roster that is designed for long-term success.
The Packers have made four postseason appearances and won three NFC North division titles (2019–2021) since he was elevated to the position of general manager in 2018.
Most remarkably, he assembled a Green Bay squad that can contend in the post-Aaron Rodgers era.He picked Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and in the team’s first season without Aaron Rodgers as the starting quarterback since 2007 (when Brett Favre was still the starting quarterback), Jordan Love guided the Packers to a wild-card playoff trip and a postseason victory.
The Packers seem to have the best chance to unseat the Lions as NFC North champions heading into the 2024 season. Bravo to Gutekunst for making that happen.
1.) Lions’ Brad Holmes
Holmes has done an incredibly admirable job of revitalizing the Lions’ culture and turning the team into a winner, working in tandem with head coach Dan Campbell.
He’s been the team’s general manager since 2021, and he’s been excellent since then. He picked two All-Pros in 2021 (OT Penei Sewell and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown). Detroit went from a 3-13-1 team in ’21 to a 12-5 team that was on the verge of winning the Super Bowl a season ago because to his outstanding roster-building efforts.
The fourth-year front-office administrator for the Lions has more than merited his position as the NFC North’s best general manager.
