Brad Holmes took on the NFL's most daunting rebuild and made the Lions a contender

Brad Holmes’ first move as the general manager of the Detroit Lions was to ship Matthew Stafford out of town. His reward for giving the Los Angeles Rams a future Super Bowl winner? Two first round picks, a third round selection and a quarterback Holmes was plenty familiar with dating back to his 17 years in the Rams’ organization: Jared Goff.

This was no small step in a long journey. It was a leap headfirst into a rebuild that paid off faster than anyone could have expected. And because of the moves he made, his Lions are one win away from the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 30 years.

Holmes’ fingerprints were indelibly plastered all over Detroit’s first playoff winning streak since 1957. Goff was behind center in a 31-23 divisional round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, slinging a pair of touchdowns without a turnover in order to push his comeback to new heights. He got a dagger score on a brilliant 31-yard run from a rookie tailback he’d gotten slammed for drafting with the 12th overall pick months earlier.

Jahmyr Gibbs gained +27 rushing yards over expected on his 31-yard TD, his 14th run gaining at least +10 RYOE this season (T-2nd in NFL, incl. playoffs).

All six of Gibbs' runs outside the tackles have resulted in successful plays today.#TBvsDET | #AllGrit pic.twitter.com/e3vfgRv7X4

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 21, 2024

His top 2022 draft pick had a sack and two quarterback hits. A 2023 second-rounder had a sack and two tackles for loss. The jewel in the middle of his free agent class intercepted Baker Mayfield days after lobbing inaccurate trash talk his way.

The fourth-round pick he swiped on Day 3 of his first draft extended his All-Pro campaign with a touchdown catch. The Pro Bowl rookie tight end he’d drafted in the second round led the Lions in both receptions and receiving yards despite a bone bruise in his knee.

All-Pro players make All-Pro plays @amonra_stbrown | NBC pic.twitter.com/ZietQIWA6L

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 21, 2024

Holmes took a laughingstock and turned it into one of the NFC’s two best teams. It’s a rise that began with Goff, a player the Rams no longer wanted, pushing an immoveable boulder up a steep hill thanks to shrewd drafting and useful bargain free agent pickups. There’s still a long way to go before Detroit can rest easy at the top of that slope, but they’re on the precipice of the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

Here’s how Holmes got them there.