Detroit Lions: Who should be the new general manager?

The Detroit Lions need a serious re-vamp, starting from the top of the organization to the bottom.

The 2020 season for the Detroit Lions has been really tough to watch at some points. As a fan of the Lions since I was ten years old, this has been one of the hardest seasons for me to personally follow since 1997.

That even includes the 0-16 season. For me, this one may be worse.

It is possible that it is harder for me because I have a better understanding of what’s going on with the team than I did when I was 21 during the 2008 season.

The Lions need help in the front office, and just a few weeks ago, they brought in former linebacker and broadcaster Chris Spielman in an advisory role to help the Ford’s find a new general manager and head coach for the organization.

Detroit Lions’ great, Barry Sanders was brought aboard too. It’s really is good to see former top-tier players who have an understanding of the business and know what the team needs coming aboard to right the ship.

Let’s start with the General Manager opening.

There are roots of the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick’s coaching and players tree throughout the NFL. For the last 10 years, Belichick’s assistants and former players have left the Patriots to try their hand in head coaching and even the front office.

Some of these men that have been groomed and learned under Belichick have seen some success. Others not so much.

Bob Quinn was hired by the Detroit Lions on January 6, 2016, as the team’s new general manager. Quinn joined the Patriots in 2000 as a player personnel assistant, spending two seasons in that position.

He also spent another two seasons as a pro scout, four seasons as a regional scout, and one season as a national scout before being promoted to assistant director of pro personnel in 2009. Quinn was promoted to Director of Pro Scouting in May 2012.

Back in 2016, a lot of Lions fans were stoked to have Quinn at the helm. I was, at least. Those feelings changed over time, and for good reason. There were a lot of questionable choices made during his tenure.

One of the choices made was the hiring of another Belichick assistant, Matt Patricia. Patricia joined the Lions in 2018 and had an overall record of 13-29-1 at the time of his recent firing. He had two straight seasons under .500. At the mid-point of 2020, it became very apparent that the students of Belichick had failed in the Motor City.

Both Quinn and Patricia were given their walking papers two days after a loss to the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving. Patricia and Quinn also had a plan for the team. A vision of their scheme working. Unfortunately, it never came to fruition.

In 2021, the organization and the fan base are ready to rebuild this team. First off, they need a general manager that will bring in the correct players to fit the head coach’s criteria, whoever he may wind up being.

There are many deserving candidates out there, and we’re going to go through some of them now and pick my favorite choice at the end.

Let’s dive in!

Brad Holmes, Los Angeles Rams – Director of College Scouting

Brad Holmes is the newest name to be added to the list of candidates to replace Bob Quinn as the Detroit Lions general manager. As reported by both Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, Detroit, as well as the Atlanta Falcons, will interview Holmes.

“(He is) equipped with dynamic intelligence, is an astute evaluator of football talent and is experienced in setting an ‘all things considered’ draft board. Brad is one of the more valued voices we have in our building.” – Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff

Holmes has been with the Rams for the last eight years and has helped in the drafting process of players such as Aaron Donald, Jared Goff, and Todd Gurley III  in the early rounds of the NFL Draft. Later round selections include Jordan Fuller, Tyler Higbee, and John Johnson III.

Holmes will turn 42 in the summer of 2021 and has the support of many within the Los Angles organization.

Holmes has spent the entirety of his 18-year NFL career with the Rams, where he started as a public relations intern before shifting into scouting a year later and working his way up the ranks.

Thomas Dimitroff – Former Atlanta Falcons general manager

Both head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were fired by the aforementioned Falcons earlier in the 2020 NFL season following an 0-5 start.

However, Dimitroff had seen success in Atlanta as he is credited with a lot of the construction of the Falcons team that won the NFC title in 2016. Atlanta made the playoffs in four of his first five seasons in Atlanta as well. The overall record of the team during Dimitroff’s twelve-year run is 113-90.

He is definitely worthy of consideration and an interview, but is he the right man for the job with Detroit needing a major overhaul on the defensive side — something the Falcons were never necessarily known for?

Ed Dodds – Indianapolis Colts Assistant General Manager

As of recent happenings, it appears that Ed Dodds may be the “hottest” name to fill the vacant general manager position.

Recently, Sports Illustrated writer and insider Albert Breer appeared at halftime during games on Saturday and fielded rapid-fire questions from fans, one involving the Lions. Breer noted that depending on what happens at head coach, Dodds could be in the mix for the Lions’ general manager role.

Breer had this to say at the 9:57 mark of the video:

"“If it’s Robert Saleh in Detroit, keep an eye on Ed Dodds as his GM.”"

Robert Saleh has been a rumored candidate for the team’s future head coach since Patricia’s firing.

Mike Borgonzi – Kansas City Chiefs Director of Football Operations

If you want Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to take over as Lions head coach, the best way of making sure it happens is likely by hiring the current director of football operations, Mike Borgonzi.

What’s there to say about the Chiefs? They’re defending Super Bowl champions and are probably the best team in the AFC this year. Borgonzi is a big part of that success, along with head coach Andy Reid, Bieniemy, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and others.

In 2019 Borgonzi had a hand in re-vamping Kansas City’s defense into one that finished seventh in both total points allowed and points allowed per game (308 total points and 19.3 points/game). This came following the Chiefs’ defense finishing just 24th in 2018 in the same two categories (421 total points and 26.3/game).

Whoever the Lions decide to hire as the next GM, their focus on the teams’ defense will be imperative. Without digging too deep, it appears that Borgonzi fits that bill.

Louis  Riddick – NFL Analyst/TV Personality

Louis Riddick currently does analytic work and represents Monday Night Football in an on-air role for ESPN; however, before that, he was an NFL pro scout and director of player personnel for the Washington Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles.

For some, that draws a direct comparison to former Detroit Lions General Manager Matt Millen. Frankly, that comparison simply is not fair as Millen had zero experience in an NFL front office. What Lions fans do know is that the team went 31-84 while Millen was drafting and making personnel decisions for the organization and could go down as the worst GM in team history.

That title is deserved, at least in my opinion.

If Riddick doesn’t land in the Motor City, it’s likely that he does wind up being hired somewhere around the league as the man has great football acumen and most definitely knows how to seek out talent for on the field.

Adam Peters –  San Francisco 49ers vice president of player personnel

Adam Peters is another name that has been linked to current San Francisco 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh. The reasoning for this is both are currently employed for the same organization, with Peters in the role of VP of player personnel.

In that role, Peters has had the privilege of learning under NFL great John Lynch. Peters was hired by Lynch in 2017, having spent the previous eight years with the Denver Broncos as a regional scout and eventually rising to the position of director of college scouting.

During his years in the Mile High City, he helped develop teams that won two AFC championships, a Super Bowl title in 2015, and helped construct a squad on the defensive side of the ball that were 2020 NFC champions.

Rick Smith – Former Houston Texans general manager

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Rick Smith was previously with the Houston Texans from 2006-2017 when he understandably stepped down to care for his ailing wife, who was battling breast cancer at the time.

Following parting ways with the organization, former head coach Bill O’Brien made many questionable roster moves, including trading away multiple-time Pro Bowl wideout DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals.

Smith is responsible for drafting Hopkins, quarterback Deshaun Watson and defensive end J.J. Watt.

Watt was the centerpiece of what once was a top-tier defense in the NFL. Defense has to be the highest of priorities moving forward if the organization ever has hopes of division titles or winning playoff games.

My choice for the Detroit Lions’ general manager job.

In my opinion, all of these gentlemen deserve a shot to be a general manager somewhere in the league at some point, but my choice for the Detroit Lions is Rick Smith.

Smith was the youngest ever to hold the title of GM when hired by Texas in 2006 and is still relatively young in terms of a front-office position 14 years later.

What’s most important is his ability to recognize talent on both sides of the ball and build a high-quality defense. The Lions will need help on both sides of the ball this offseason and really need a defense to right the ship of a team quickly sinking.

Let us know your preferred choice as the next Detroit Lions general manager in the comments below!