The Trade Everyone Called a Disaster Just Made Brad Holmes Look Like a Genius
Remember when half of Lions Twitter lost their minds over the Isaac TeSlaa trade? Yeah, well, now that the draft is over and the dust has settled, it’s pretty clear who got the last laugh here. Spoiler alert: it was Brad Holmes. Again.
For the first time in forever, we don’t have any pending trade drama hanging over our heads. Everything’s done. The books are closed. And damn if our GM didn’t work some magic along the way.
Za’Darius Smith: Short Term Pain, Long Term Gain
The Lions got Za’Darius Smith and a seventh-round pick that turned into Tyre West. The Browns got a fifth-rounder they used to trade for Kenny Pickett and a sixth-round pick they traded away.
Smith’s gone now, retired after a brief stint with the Eagles that lasted about as long as a Detroit winter thaw. But we still got West out of the deal, another edge rusher to develop. The Browns? They got Pickett. That should tell you everything you need to know about who won this one.
Tim Patrick: Clean and Simple
We sent Tim Patrick to Jacksonville for a sixth-round pick that became Skyler Gill-Howard, an interior defensive lineman. Patrick had his moments here in 2025, but once we drafted TeSlaa, the writing was on the wall.
Patrick went quiet in Jacksonville while we added depth to the defensive line. Sometimes the best trades are the ones that just make sense for everyone.
The Isaac TeSlaa “Disaster” That Wasn’t
Here’s where Holmes really showed his work. We sent away a 2025 third-round pick, a 2026 third-round pick, and a 2026 third-round pick to Jacksonville and got back Isaac TeSlaa with a 2025 third-round pick, Miles Frazier with a 2025 fifth-round pick, and a 2026 sixth-round pick we used to move up for Kendrick Law.
The Jaguars took two of their picks and somehow managed to draft Wyatt Millum, Albert Regis, and Jalen Husky. Something they received a tremendous amount of flak for.
Meanwhile, TeSlaa is expected to get a lot more playing time in 2026. Frazier could be starting at left guard this season. Law might handle kick return duties and special teams work right away. Not bad for a trade that supposedly made no sense.
I get why fans were mad initially. TeSlaa didn’t play much in his rookie season, and it felt like we gave up too much. But this is why Brad Holmes gets paid to make these calls and we get paid to argue about them on the internet.
David Montgomery: The Rare Win-Win
Trading Montgomery hurt emotionally, but business is business. We got Juice Scruggs, used a fourth-round pick to move up for Derrick Moore, and picked up a 2027 seventh-round pick.
Houston got a proven running back who should thrive in their system. We got our new starting edge rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson and some offensive line depth that can play multiple positions.
Sometimes trades work out for everyone. Sometimes Brad Holmes just makes it look easy.
Still think Holmes doesn’t know what he’s doing, or are we finally ready to admit this front office might actually have a clue? Drop your takes below.
Ok I’ll admit it, I was one of the people freaking out about the TeSlaa trade when it happened. But seeing how this whole thing played out after the draft? Holmes really did work some magic here. The fact that we ended up with Law for kick returns AND got defensive pieces out of it while Jacksonville totally whiffed with their picks makes us look like the adults in the room.
I get what you’re saying but let’s pump the brakes a little. We won’t actually know if TeSlaa was worth all that until he’s out there playing real snaps next year. Frazier and Law look good on paper but that’s all they are right now. I’m not saying Holmes screwed up, I’m just saying we gotta see it happen before we start calling him a genius.
Man this is what it’s supposed to look like. Back in the day we’d make these moves and get absolutely nothing out of them. Holmes is actually building something here where even the trades work out. You can feel the difference in how this front office operates compared to… well, compared to everything before this.
The Montgomery trade especially shows how much better we’re doing moves now. Getting an edge rusher like Moore opposite Hutch while Houston gets a running back they wanted is the kind of deal where everybody wins. That’s not lucky, that’s just good scouting and negotiating. Holmes knows the market.