Brad Holmes was named the Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager on January 14, 2021. In his role, he oversees the Lions' football operations and reports directly to Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Ford Hamp and President and CEO Rod Wood.
Holmes joined the Lions after spending 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2003-2020). In 2013, the Rams elevated Holmes to Director of College Scouting, where he was responsible for overseeing the team's college scouting operations for eight seasons.
Holmes' vision for leading the Lions has so far been founded on a collaborative approach with Head Coach Dan Campbell as the two began reshaping the roster in 2021. Placing an emphasis on players with grit, passion and football character, Holmes has enhanced the Lions roster through precision in every phase of the talent acquisition process as he enters his fourth season as executive vice president and general manager.
Holmes' combination of Draft success and strategic free agent signings built a roster that achieved historic success in 2023. The team finished the season with a 12-5 record, tying the franchise record for the most wins in a single season. The team also clinched a division title for the first time in 30 years and appeared in their second-ever NFC Championship Game, their first since the 1991 season. He was named the PFWA Executive of the Year for the work he did in 2023, becoming the first Detroit Lion to win the award.
The 2023 rookie class was at the forefront of the Lions' success with the group setting a single-season franchise record for the most touchdowns (22) via rookies. TE Sam LaPorta and RB Jahmyr Gibbs became the first set of rookie teammates to produce at least 10 touchdowns in a season. Both LaPorta and Gibbs were selected to the Pro Bowl and named to the PFWA All-Rookie team. LaPorta was also selected AP Second-Team All-Pro after setting an NFL rookie tight end record with 86 receptions and leading all NFL tight ends with 10 touchdown receptions. Gibbs became the third Lions rookie to record 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in a season, joining Barry Sanders (1989) and Billy Sims (1980). LB Jack Campbell was the only rookie to record 80 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks in 2023, en route to being named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. DB Brian Branch ranked second among all rookies with three interceptions in 2023 and became the third Lions rookie to produce a pick-six in their NFL debut in franchise history.
Holmes' free agent pickups became integral parts of the 2023 Lions. RB David Montgomery became the second Lions free agent signing to rush for 1,000 yards in their first season with the team. He also rushed for 13 touchdowns in 2023, the most a free agent signing has had in their first season with Detroit and tied for the fourth-most any Lions player has rushed for in a single season. He and Gibbs became the first duo in NFL history to each produce 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in a season. Holmes also brought back familiar faces in OL Graham Glasgow and LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Glasgow started 15 games, including starts at all three interior offensive line positions. Voted as a team captain, Reeves-Maybin was a staple on special teams, earning a spot in the Pro Bowl and being named AP Second-Team All-Pro.
In 2022, Holmes re-signed key players such as LB Alex Anzalone, WR Kalif Raymond and OLB Charles Harris after each produced career-best seasons within their first year in Detroit, while also extending S Tracy Walker to a long-term deal. Holmes' 2022 draft class echoed his approach of investing in reliable, gritty players with the selection of DE Aidan Hutchinson (first round, second overall) and WR Jameson Williams (first round, 12th overall). Hutchinson finished second in the AP Rookie in the Year vote and concluded the season with 9.5 sacks (most among rookies), three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. His three interceptions tied for the most ever by a Lions defensive lineman in a single season.
Holmes' 2022 draft class was also highlighted by S Kerby Joseph, LB Malcolm Rodriguez and LB James Houston. The Lions' 2022 rookie class set an NFL record for most sacks by rookie players in a single season (20.5), and ranked atop several league categories for 2022 – including second in rookie interceptions (seven) and first in rookie tackles for loss (26). Joseph became the only player to ever intercept QB Aaron Rodgers three times in a regular season career, while Houston finished second on the team in sacks with 8.0.
The first month of Holmes' tenure in 2021 led to a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Rams that resulted in the Lions acquiring QB Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick and two future first-round draft picks in exchange for QB Matthew Stafford. His first offseason was capped off with one of the NFL's brightest and most productive draft classes, highlighted by the seventh overall pick T Penei Sewell out of Oregon. Sewell started 16 games as a rookie, splitting time between left and right tackle, and became the youngest player in NFL history to start a game at left tackle. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (fourth round, 112th overall), set the Lions' all-time rookie record for receptions (90) and receiving yards (912), while DL Alim McNeill (third round, 72nd overall) emerged as a foundational piece along the defensive line. That year, Holmes also inked two-time Pro Bowl C Frank Ragnow to a long-term contract extension.
Prior to the Lions, Holmes led the Rams college scouting department and helped the organization capture two NFC West titles en route to three playoff berths and an appearance in Super Bowl LIII. After originally joining the Rams in 2003 as a public relations intern, Holmes transitioned into scouting and spent nearly two decades in a variety of roles within the organization's player personnel department, including NFS scout, area scout, national Combine scout and scouting assistant.
In his previous role, Holmes collaborated with the Rams' personnel directors to improve technological resources and enhance overall scouting procedures. While holding a prominent leadership role in the player personnel department from 2013-20, Holmes helped the Rams achieve a 64-58 record (.524), while having a total of 25 players named to the Pro Bowl during that span. He played an integral role in drafting several key players on the Rams' current roster, including DT Aaron Donald, QB Jared Goff, WR Cooper Kupp and S John Johnson. Holmes was also instrumental in helping the Rams acquire All-Pro CB Jalen Ramsey via trade in 2019.
A Tampa, Fla. native, Holmes graduated cum laude from North Carolina A&T State University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communications and was a four-year letterman for the Aggies at defensive tackle. He was voted team captain and helped A&T win the 1999 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Black College Football National Championship.
In 2022, the Chamberlain (Fla.) High School Legacy Alliance recognized Holmes as a distinguished alumnus by naming the new football stadium press box in his honor.
Holmes is the son of Melvin Holmes, who played offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1971-73, and is also the nephew of former Lions defensive back Luther Bradley (1978 first-round pick). He is married to his wife, Lisa, and together they have two children.
