Rams' Brad Holmes, Lions Agree to Reported 5-Year Contract As New GM

The Detroit Lions hired Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes as their new general manager after Bob Quinn, who'd held the role since 2016, was fired in late November.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Thursday that Holmes agreed to a five-year deal.  

The Lions are heading toward an important offseason after missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. They haven't advanced beyond the Wild Card Round since 1991.

Detroit has several key potential free agents, led by wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr., defensive end Everson Griffen and kicker Matt Prater. The team may also consider its options with quarterback Matthew Stafford, whose dead-cap hit drops by more than $22 million from 2020, per Spotrac.

In addition, the new general manager will likely play a prominent role in the search for a head coach after Matt Patricia was fired along with Quinn following a Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans.

The entire situation creates a potential turning point for the Lions, which is probably why they decided now was the time to seek out new leadership for the front office.

Holmes was a longtime member of the Rams organization. He started as an intern 18 years ago and worked his way through the organization to become the team's director of college scouting, a position he's filled for the past eight seasons.

He played a key role in the Rams' draft preparations, headlined by the selection of defensive superstar Aaron Donald with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and he's set to become a general manager for the first time after also receiving interest from the Atlanta Falcons.

Now he'll be tasked with reshaping a Lions roster with more questions than answers heading toward 2021.