Now that we’ve heard Brad Holmes talk about his free agency. do you approve of his strategy for the Detroit Lions in 2025?
To say that the Detroit Lions actions in free agency drew mixed reviews from fans would probably be an understatement. While it was pretty easy to understand what the Lions were doing—saving money for upcoming extensions while focusing on bringing back players they like and trust—not everyone agreed with the philosophy. Some made it clear that they believed the time was now to make a run or two at a Super Bowl and deal with the consequences of that on a later date. We’ve seen teams employ both strategies and the pros and cons of each decision.
On Monday, Lions general manager Brad Holmes spoke for the first time since free agency started, and gave his point of view on why the Lions acted the way they did. He gave the answer many of us expected when explaining why the Lions were modest spenders , and he also gave a pretty full-throated endorsement of the team’s current defensive line , despite many public concerns about the position.
So today’s Question of the Day is simple:
Now that you’ve heard Brad Holmes’ explanation, do you approve of the Lions’ approach to free agency?
My answer: Yep. If you’re a Pride of Detroit Direct subscribers, I wrote a pretty lengthy article on how the core 15-17 players of this team will be taking up an untenable amount of cap space starting in 2026, and the only way the Lions will survive it is if they limit spending in the interim, significantly restructure contracts along the way, and make some tough decisions when it comes to future extensions—along with continuing to kill it in the NFL Draft .
If everyone recognizes this to be true, it really comes down to a philosophical debate. Would you rather go all-in for a year or two to win a championship and likely deal with some down years afterward, or go try to keep the window open as long as possible to get as many bites at the championship apple. I’m more of a risk-averse guy that wants to see this team become one of the NFL pillars of being constantly good, so it’s an easy choice for me. I understand plenty of teams leave in this purgatory of being good-not-great, but I continue to believe the Lions’ coaching staff gives them an advantage that won’t let that happen. But I can certainly understand those that want a Super Bowl so badly that they want to increase the immediate chances at risk of future collapse.
What are your thoughts? Vote in the poll below and share your extended thoughts in the comment section.