Brad Holmes was named the Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager on Jan. 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 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 fifth season as Executive Vice President and General Manager.
Holmes' combination of Draft success and strategic free agent signings has helped build a roster that achieved historic success the last two seasons. In 2024, the Lions set records during the regular season, posting the most wins (15), touchdowns scored (70) and points scored (564) in a single season in franchise history. The Lions captured their second-consecutive NFC North division title with a 31-9 Week 18 win over rival Minnesota and secured the number-one seed in the NFC for the first time in team history. In 2023, the team finished the season with a 12-5 record and clinched a division title for the first time in 30 years. The Lions went on to appear in their second-ever NFC Championship Game, their first since the 1991 season. Holmes was named the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Executive of the Year in back-to-back seasons for his work in 2023 and 2024. He is the first Detroit Lions executive to win the award and the NFL's third general manager to win it multiple times.
The 2024 season saw four Lions (T Penei Sewell, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, S Kerby Joseph, P Jack Fox) earn Associated Press First-Team All-Pro honors, and two (C Frank Ragnow, PR Kalif Raymond) earn Second-Team All-Pro honors. Sewell, St. Brown, Fox and Ragnow also made their way to the Pro Bowl alongside QB Jared Goff, DB Brian Branch, RB Jahmyr Gibbs and T Taylor Decker. Gibbs set the franchise record and led the NFL in total touchdowns in a single season with 20, while Goff finished in the top five of every passing category and set a franchise record for most games with a 100+ passer rating with 12. St. Brown became only the third player in NFL history to record 115 receptions and 10 receiving touchdowns in consecutive seasons, while WR Jameson Williams recorded his first-career 1,000-yard season (1,001 yards). Defensively, Joseph led the entire NFL with nine interceptions, while Branch became only the third defensive back since 1999 to post 100 tackles, 15 pass defenses and five TFLs in a season.
With a draft-and-develop approach to building his team, Holmes' success in the draft has resulted in several of his core draft selections earning major contract extensions under his tenure, including Sewell, St. Brown, Joseph, DT Alim McNeill and LB Derrick Barnes. Holmes also signed QB Jared Goff, who was acquired by the Lions via a blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Rams during Holmes' first month on the job in 2021, to a long-term contract extension prior to the 2024 season.
Over the last four seasons, Holmes and his personnel staff have also acquired key free agent signings that have helped piece together one of the deepest rosters in the NFL. Among the key veteran players who have joined the Lions as free agents under Holmes include, WR/PR Kalif Raymond, LB Alex Anzalone, RB David Montgomery, DT D.J. Reader, DB Amik Robertson and CB DJ Reed.
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 May 2025, Holmes was given the distinguished honor of delivering the university's Class of 2025 commencement speech. 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.
