Head Coach Dan Campbell and EVP/General Manager Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions have agreed to contract extensions.
The Detroit Lions announced today that head coach Dan Campbell and executive vice president and general manager Brad Holmes will have their contracts extended. In order to remain with the team until the 2027 season, both parties consented to multi-year extensions.
Sheila Hamp, the chairperson of the Detroit Lions, expressed her excitement, saying, We are happy to have Brad and Dan under contract for the next four seasons. They have been the main factor in our football team’s reconstruction and our recent success. Our football program’s continuity with them will be essential to our on-field success in the future.
Prior to the 2021 season, Brad Holmes signed with the Lions, and he is recognized for having rebuilt the team’s squad with an eye on long-term success.
Holmes, who is well-known for his talent detection skills, has chosen important foundational players for the Lions throughout the draft class, such as Penei Sewell (2021, 7th overall), Alim McNeill (2021, 72nd overall), and Amon-RaSt. St.
Aidan Hutchinson (2022) placed second overall, Jameson Williams (2022) placed 12th overall, Kerby Joseph (2022) placed 97th overall, Jahmyr Gibbs (2023) placed 12th overall, Jack Campbell (2023) placed 18th overall, Sam LaPorta (2023) placed 34th overall, and Brian Branch (2023) placed 45th overall. Brown (2021) placed 112th overall.
Having worked as a football talent evaluator and leader for more than 20 years, Holmes came to the Lions from the Los Angeles Rams, where he spent 18 years rising through the ranks to become Director of College Scouting.
In 2023, he was recognized as the PFWA NFL Executive of the Year for assembling a group that led the Lions to a 12-5 record and the 2023 NFC Championship game.
Six days after Holmes joined the Lions, Dan Campbell joined as well, and the two have worked together to build a successful program in Detroit. In his first full-time position as head coach in Detroit, Campbell has amassed a 24-26-1 record.
After starting the season with a 3-13-1 record in his first season and leading Detroit to a 12-5 record in 2023, the former NFL tight end has overseen a major turnaround.
In 2023, Campbell guided the Lions to their first-ever NFC North Division crown and their first-ever NFL playoff triumph in thirty-two years.
The Lions made their first appearance in the NFC Championship game since 1991 in the 2023 edition. Based on the team’s performance in 2023, Campbell was named a finalist for the Associated Press Coach of the Year award.
The club also declared that Special Assistant to the President/CEO and Chairperson Chris Spielman and the club had reached an agreement on a multi-year extension.
The Lions selected Chris Spielman in the 1988 (29th overall) draft, making him one of the most decorated players in the team’s history. Spielman set the franchise record for tackles (1,138) in eight seasons as a linebacker, a mark he still owns.
In 2021, Spielman returned to the company as a special assistant to President/CEO Rod Wood and Principal Owner and Chair Sheila Hamp. Spielman’s present position allows him to assist throughout the entire organization, and he has played a significant role in reviving the Lions’ on-field culture.
President and CEO Rod Wood expressed his pride in the job that Brad, Dan, and Chris had done for the company. They have devotedly collaborated to create a winning culture for the Lions. In order to bring about the long-term success we anticipate for the team, our supporters, and the city of Detroit, I am eager to keep working with them.
