The Pro Football Writers of America honored Brad Holmes, general manager of the Detroit Lions, with an award that had been in the works for three years.
The Pro Football Writers of America have awarded Brad Holmes, general manager of the Detroit Lions, the NFL Executive of the Year. Since the award’s inception in 1993, Holmes is the first member of the Lions front office to receive it.
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— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 25, 2024
In his third season leading the Lions, Holmes may have his best draft class to date in 2023. In addition to first-round linebacker Jack Campbell and second-round nickel cornerback Brian Branch, he has had noteworthy defensive assistance from first-round selections Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, who are also competing for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Holmes has also witnessed his initial draft class grow into what is probably the best class of the 2021 NFL Draft. This year’s first-team All-Pro selections were Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Within PFF’s top-10 graded interior defensive tackles, Alim McNeill came in second. After quiet debuts to their early NFL careers, linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu enjoyed breakout seasons.
From the PFWA official release:
“Holmes directed the Lions return to a division title and the NFC’s No. 3 seed in 2023. Detroit was 12-5 this season, which tied for the most victories in a season in Lions history. The Lions were 6-3 on the road, tying a franchise road victory record, and the club did not lose consecutive games the entire season for the first time since 1962. The Lions also won seven games by 10 or more points for the first time since 1997.”
Along with Holmes, a number of other Lions players received recognition this week for their achievements. Coach Dan Campbell, for example, was named NFC coach of the year by the “101 Awards” and is a finalist for NFL coach of the year by the Associated Press (the winner is still unknown). Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator, was also a nominee for the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award.
Nevertheless, in the PFWA’s rendition of the Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year awards, respectively, Johnson lost to Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and Campbell to Texans coach DeMeco Ryans.
