The Holmes Report Card: Time to Check Our GM’s Temperature Again
It’s been a minute since we took the pulse on Brad Holmes. The last time we polled Lions Nation was almost exactly a year ago following the 2025 NFL Draft, but those results got lost in some website shuffle. Technology, man. Even it finds ways to hurt Lions fans.
But here’s what we know: Holmes has been beloved in this town for pretty much his entire tenure. We’re talking approval ratings that would make politicians weep with envy.
The Holmes Approval History
March 2021 through December 2021: 97, 98, 90, 87, 79, then back to 97 percent. January 2022 and March 2022: 97 and 96 percent. May 2022 post-draft: 99 percent. September 2022 through November 2022: 95, 82, then 97 percent.
January 2023 into April 2023: 99, then 98 percent. October 2023: 99 percent. February 2024 and May 2024: both 99 percent. October 2024: still 99 percent. May 2025’s data is gone, but you get the picture.
Those are numbers that would make any GM in any city jealous. Hell, those are numbers that would make any human being in any profession jealous.
But Then The 2025 Season Happened
If there was ever a time when Holmes might have taken a hit in the approval ratings, it was probably during the 2025 NFL season when the Lions took their first real step backward since he and Dan Campbell arrived in Allen Park.
Look, Holmes deserves massive credit for dragging this franchise out of the wilderness and giving us four consecutive seasons with winning records. But the resume has some smudges on it now. The 2024 NFL Draft class hasn’t lived up to his usual standards through two seasons. Some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off. And last year’s roster just wasn’t built well enough to survive some injuries.
That’s not vintage Holmes. That’s not the GM who quietly became the best this franchise has ever had.
Back to Business As Usual?
But Holmes is also coming off a draft that had Lions fans nodding along in approval. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two picks. No head-scratching reaches. No expensive trade-ups that left you wondering what the hell just happened.
Many are calling it “back to business as usual” for Holmes, which might be exactly what some fans needed to see after a frustrating season.
The question is whether that’s enough to win back anyone who might have soured on him after watching this team finish last in the division.
So where do you stand on Holmes right now? Still riding with the GM who transformed this franchise, or starting to wonder if the magic is wearing off? Let us know in the comments below.
Brad Holmes brought us back from the dead. Yeah this past year sucked but one bad season doesn’t erase what he’s done here. The 2025 draft looking solid again is exactly what we needed to see. I’m sticking with him.
I want to believe. I really do. But we can’t just brush off how things fell apart last season and pretend one decent draft class fixes everything. Holmes has earned the benefit of the doubt but he’s gotta prove it on the field going forward.
Man you guys have no idea what it was like before Holmes and Campbell got here. This regime actually knows what they’re doing. Yeah they had a rough go last year but at least we’re not completely dysfunctional anymore.
Those approval numbers are nuts and for good reason. The way Holmes has turned this franchise around is special. One down year doesn’t change that he’s built something real here with Campbell.