Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes don't just have the attention of the NFL. They have its respect.
On Thursday, Campbell was named by his peers the Sporting News NFL Coach of the Year, and Brad Holmes was named by his peers the Sporting News NFL Executive of the Year.
It's a well-deserved honor for both men, who just led the Lions to their first division title in 30 years, snapping the second-longest drought in the NFL, and to their second ever trip to the NFC title game. Detroit fell a few plays short of the Super Bowl in a 34-31 loss to the No. 1 seed 49ers.
The Lions finished the year with a franchise-best 14 wins, a sharp turnaround from their 4-19-1 record in their first season and a half under Campbell and Holmes. The coach has sown a culture of collaboration and competitiveness in Detroit, and the GM has drafted and signed players who fit the soil.
Holmes' most recent draft produced two Offensive Rookie of the Year finalists in Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta and two more starters on defense in Jack Campbell and Brian Branch. He also elevated Detroit's offense this season with the signing of David Montgomery, who combined with Gibbs to form one of the most lethal rushing tandems in the NFL.
Maybe most importantly, the Lions got another standout season from Jared Goff, part of Holmes' return in the Matthew Stafford trade back in 2021. At the time, Goff was billed as a bridge quarterback and a tariff imposed on Detroit for higher draft capital. Homes never saw it that way. Goff has since emerged as the Lions' quarterback now and moving forward and reasserted himself as one of the top players at his position.
Oh, and the Lions used part of the aforementioned capital to draft Gibbs and LaPorta, not to mention Jameson Williams and Josh Paschal in 2022 and Ifeatu Melifownu in 2021, all of whom were key contributors in 2023. Three years later, Holmes' first major move in Detroit continues to pay dividends.
Just last week, Holmes was named NFL Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association. And Campbell was nominated for NFL Head Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, with the winner to be announced next week. His fellow nominees are DeMeco Ryans of the Texans, Kevin Stefanski of the Browns, John Harbaugh of the Ravens and Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers.
But to Campbell and Holmes, these awards probably mean more. There's no higher honor than one from your peers.