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Detroit Lions Executive Vice President & General Manager Brad Holmes speaks to the press about their season, how it ended and what’s next at the Detroit Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park, Mich., Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025. | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Detroit Lions have entered a window where every mistake will be magnified. With the salary cap tightening and draft capital no longer in the top 10 in each round, general manager Brad Holmes must walk a tightrope. One big mistake, and it can come crashing down in a hurry.
But the best way to manage a fragile roster is to find value signings. You could certainly sense that was the strategy this offseason. The Lions had over 15 external free agent signings this offseason, and just two of them were valued at or over $5 million per year.
While this is the extreme end of this strategy, it’s not a new approach from Holmes. Since he arrived in 2021, he’s been modest with his signings, opting not to overspend much on external players—and saving that cap space for extending the team’s core. So today’s Question of the Day is:
What has been the Lions’ best value signing of the Brad Holmes era?
My answer: To help jog your memory, you can check out each of the Lions’ past six free agency periods with our annual offseason recaps:
A few contracts immediately stand out. Initially signing Alex Anzalone to a one-year, $1.75 million deal in 2021, then re-signing him to a one-year, $2.25 million deal the next year was a crazy bargain in retrospect. Regardless of what happened in the NFC Championship Game, Josh Reynolds on a two-year, $6 million deal was a steal.
Holmes also did himself well at the running back position, particularly with Jamaal Williams’ two-year, $6 million contract. David Montgomery also outplayed his three-year, $18 million deal—but not his subsequent extension.
More recently, Amik Robertson’s two-year, $9.25 million deal was a great value, as was Kevin Zeitler’s one-year, $6 million deal the same offseason. Last year, Detroit found a handful of bargain-bin deals, including Roy Lopez ($3.5 million), Rock Ya-Sin ($1.17M), and Avonte Maddox ($1.42M).
There’s a bunch from this year that could end up being bargains, but it’s obviously too early to tell.
Which do you think has been Holmes’ best free agency value signing? Or has it been a re-signing/extension?
Share your thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page!
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