The Lions kicked in the door last year and reached the NFC title game. After losing one week earlier this year, Brad Holmes isn't fretting the team's window.
"Obviously," he said, "it sucks. It's humbling. But no overreaction. Honestly, there's nothing else to do but get back to work. You guys have heard me talk about trying to battle recency bias and not being a prisoner of the moment. Look, we just fell short and it wasn't our day. But, no, I don't think you can be a prisoner of the moment and make all these crazy, wholesale changes."
Despite a bad showing at the worst time last week, the Lions remain on an upward trajectory under Holmes and Dan Campbell. From three wins, to nine, to 12 to 15, and "look," said Holmes, "15 wins is hard to do in a year when you don’t have all the attrition that we had to deal with." To hit that number all the same, "that’s about as difficult as it gets."
That's why the Lions have to feel good about where they stand entering the offseason, even while losing their top two coordinators to head coaching jobs elsewhere. As Campbell said earlier this week, after channelling despair and anger into resolve, "that core group is still intact. ... We’ve got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success, and those guys are made the right way."
"So absolutely," said Campbell, "our window is open.”
Holmes doesn't even entertain those terms, that term, in particular: "I think we've done a good job of doing the best we can to avoid windows."
"We feel so good about our young core and young nucleus of players and our quarterback and how he's playing -- him having a, let's call it, MVP-caliber season -- I just think all the pieces are in place that I don't really feel walls closing in, or a window," Holmes said.
The Lions have in the neighborhood of $50 million in cap space next season; the NFL ceiling for 2025 has yet to be established. They also have a slew of free agents to potentially re-sign, headlined on defense by Levi Onwuzurike, Derrick Barnes, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Carlton Davis III, on offense by Kevin Zeitler and Tim Patrick. And they have extensions to consider for the likes of Kerby Joseph, Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams, the latter two of whom have fifth-year options the Lions must act on this offseason.
For Holmes, the plan remains the same. That means that the draft will be the Lions' primary path toward bolstering the roster, while free agency and trades will help fill in the gaps. Asked Thursday about the Lions' outlook, Holmes said that "we're very close" to achieving the ultimate goal and that the best way to get there is to "stay the course."
"Nothing’s going to alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building," Holmes said. "Obviously, felt really good about this season, fell short, but we’re going to stay committed to the process."
That's not to say the Lions won't be aggressive in making external additions. As Holmes reminded everyone, "We've done that in the past when we've added veteran players," whether it was trading draft capital in the past year to acquire Davis III and Za'Darius Smith or spending cap space last offseason on DJ Reader and Zeitler.
"We're not scared of that," said Holmes. "If it's the right veteran player and the right fit, then we have no problem doing it if it's going to help our football team. We've always said that we're going to build through the draft. And I think that's why we're in the position we're in from a 'window standpoint' of having the comfort to keep building like we have been."
The Lions' dreams this year were dashed last week. It was a stunning end to a historic season, but it's no cause for panic. The plan is the plan, the course is the course, and Holmes and the Lions are sticking to both.
"Look, it happened and you can’t sulk it back," Holmes said. "You can’t mope a reversal of the unfortunate outcome. There’s literally nothing else to do but pick yourself up and get back to work."