ALLEN PARK, Mich. — A quick Command + F search through Brad Holmes’s 2023 end-of-camp transcript will show precisely one result for the words, “Super Bowl.” It was in response to a question about opening the season against…the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs.
The Lions were careful about their words this time a year ago. It was about winning the division, getting into the playoffs and seeing what happens. This year, though, the Lions from top to bottom as an organization have been more open than ever before discussing their goals for the year ahead. That’s what happens when you make it to the NFC Championship game, return the core of your roster and address your biggest weakness in the offseason. The proof of concept is there, and the Lions have set themselves up for another run.
That’s why, when asked for those goals on Thursday, Holmes’ answer was rather blunt.
“To win the Super Bowl,” he said.
Here’s more from Holmes’ season-preview press conference.
Holmes on contract extensions
In the NFL, the sooner the better when it comes to contract extensions. The Lions understand this better than most.
They’ve made it a point of emphasis to beat teams to the market, knowing their star players were due extensions. Deals given out to Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff have already been topped by various players, with those teams having to pay a premium because of the Lions. The San Francisco 49ers, for example, are dealing with holdouts for stars like WR Brandon Aiyuk and tackle Trent Williams. It’s made for a turbulent offseason. But not for the Lions.
“We’ve always felt the earlier the better for everybody,” Holmes said. “First of all, I know that the player doesn’t wanna wait around and be strung along and us, as an organization, we do a lot of planning and preparation to reward these players as early as possible because you don’t know what’s gonna happen the next week, the next month. We just gotta worry about what we have to do and we try to do the best we can in terms of prediction and operating with discernment with all that stuff, but that’s how we choose to operate.”
It’s been mentioned by multiple players this offseason, but when your stars get deals they deserve — especially early on — it sets the tone for others in the locker room. It tells players they’ll be rewarded for their play and contributions to the team. Ray Agnew’s seen it firsthand.
“Coming from a player’s point of view, in the locker room, when your organization takes care of your top guys, it sends a message in the locker room that, ‘Hey, they’re about the right things,’” Agnew said. “So, that’s what’s been most exciting for me as a former player, what the locker room sees when you pay a St. Brown and a Penei Sewell, who deserve to get paid. I think that sends a great message to a locker room and does a lot for the psyche of our players.”
Saving money and keeping your players happy. A win-win for all parties involved.
Next on the list is fourth-year defensive tackle Alim McNeill — set to enter the final year of his contract. Holmes says he and McNeill’s camp are in the “infancy stages” in terms of dialogue, but the Lions have made it clear they want to keep him around. And for what it’s worth, McNeill isn’t concerned in the slightest. He told his agent to worry about it while he focuses on football.
Holmes on the WR position
One of the most talked about storylines of the offseason has been whether or not the Lions have enough at wide receiver. Holmes shed some light on those discussions and the players who’ve competed for the job.
On Antoine Green: “I think the unfortunate part that happened was, right when Antoine Green’s injury came, I thought that’s right when he started showing the growth and that he was about to really take the lead in it, in my opinion, but unfortunately, that happened.
On Tim Patrick: “I thought it was really cool to see Tim Patrick, after everything that he’s done, move around the preseason: Run routes, show that he can still drop his weight, snap down, get out of breaks and still catch the football. So we were excited to add him.”
On Allen Robinson: “He was a guy that we wanted to add in free agency a couple years ago. Obviously a Detroit kid, from here, but that’s not the reason why he’s here. He’s another guy who can step in and we know he can play.”
It’s interesting that Holmes felt Green was about to take the lead in the WR3 competition, and unfortunate that his season came to an end before it even began. His absence ultimately left the Lions with a handful of receivers fighting for the X — none that were able to stand out enough. That led the Lions to bring in Patrick and Robinson. They’re two veterans with a ton of experience, though injuries and age have left their marks. The Lions also signed Donovan Peoples-Jones to the practice squad. The hope is that at least one of them will emerge and provide the Lions with a big-bodied X receiver who can block, be where he needs to be, and catch the ball when thrown his way. They’re not asking for much.
After a couple of years of setbacks, Jameson Williams is showing signs that he’s moving in the right direction. (Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA Today)
Jameson Williams’ much-anticipated season
No Lions player on this roster draws more attention in this market than Jameson Williams. For varying reasons.
For a while, it was hard to tell how the organization felt about him. There was a grace period during his rookie year as he recovered from a torn ACL suffered in college. There were expectations ahead of his second year, but those quickly evaporated when he was suspended for violating the league’s gambling policy. The comments made about Williams from that point on were reserved, somewhat guarded. They needed to see him take things seriously, to mature before he became one of the guys. Slowly but surely, they watched him become one by the end of the year.
“First of all, I think you can see the growth, tremendous growth in this kid as a player and a person,” Agnew said of Williams. “I think he’s attacking the game as he should attack it, like a professional. His route running has improved, his catching of the ball has improved. He’s an exciting kid to watch play. I’m expecting big things out of him this year, and I’m sure he is, too. I know how the kid’s built, and I know how he’s wired. There’s no lack of confidence, so this kid, expect big things out of this kid.”
“I want to say on Jamo, too, and not just him specifically, but in a lot of different situations, (what) happens in life often is that you think you’re encountering a setback and it ends up being a blessing in disguise a little bit,” Holmes said. “I think those first two years — obviously we knew he was going to be recovering from his injury that first year, so we knew that. And then he had another hurdle the second year, but those two years, he showed tremendous growth, showed tremendous growth as a person and as a player. So I see it as actually it’s been a good thing because now he’s out there and you can clearly see the maturation in his game, and it’s been a joy to see this year.”
Williams has earned the right to have meaningful expectations again. Looking back, as he enters a much-anticipated season, it was the sort of reset needed to get to where he is now. It certainly feels like he’s ready to contribute and be a difference-maker in this offense. And while it’s ultimately on Williams to perform up to those expectations, the fact that he’s put himself back in the conversation is what you want to see.
Quick hits
• Holmes said in the past that it took a lot of convincing to get agents to send their players to the Lions. That’s changed these days. “It makes you feel good that we’ve done something, we’ve accomplished some things that these agents want to send their players here.”
• Lions DL John Cominsky was moved to injured reserve this morning. Peoples-Jones was added to the practice squad. C.J. Moore was released from the practice squad.
• The Lions claimed LB Trevor Nowaske off waivers. After losing him a year ago, Holmes was excited to get him back: “We were disappointed when we lost him last year. We were just in one of those spots where you’re trying to sneak a guy through. I don’t know if there’s any sneaking anymore in this league. But we couldn’t. …He does have a lot of upside with his size, his straight-line speed, he’s tough, he’s physical, he has instincts for special teams.”
• Holmes said Jake Fromm overtook Nate Sudfeld for the third QB job in the preseason finale. Matches what Campbell’s said about Fromm.
• In case you were wondering about James Houston, here’s Holmes: “He’s got a tremendous ability to bend, change directions, counter. He might not be the power rusher that Aidan is. He’s a completely different flavor. But that’s what we like about him, too, as well.”
• Holmes on Jake Bates: “I know that one thing about kickers is you have to be wired a certain way. We learned early on that he’s wired right. That’s one of the smartest moves that we didn’t make — is that when we had Badgley go down and we did not bring another kicker in.” Holmes did say the Lions will look to bring in another kicker for the practice squad, but they’re good with where Bates is at and want to see this through.
• Agnew on Loren Strickland: “Strickland just showed up every week. He wasn’t a guy that was talked about a lot early. He just kept coming, kept going, every day, every practice. Kept making plays, special teams-wise. And the guy was tough, he was gritty. He’s a Lion.”
• Agnew on Hogan Hatten: “The guy’s just extremely athletic. The guy just made plays all camp. And at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. It’s a production business, and he was productive and he made plays all day and he earned his spot.”
• Agnew on Isaiah Williams: “Isaiah just made plays when he got the ball in his hands. So those guys, all three of them earned their spots. It wasn’t given to ’em. They earned it and they deserved it.”
(Top photo of Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell: Eric Seals / USA Today)
