Once upon a time, Thomas Dimitroff was part of a front office for the Lions that also included Kevin Colbert and Rick Spielman -- three future general managers in the NFL.
Dimitroff took over the Falcons in 2008, Colbert took over the Steelers in 2010 and Spielman took over the Vikings in 2012.
And now Dimitroff might be returning to take over the Lions.
Detroit will interview Dimitroff for its general manager job next week, according to the NFL Network.
Dimitroff, 54, was twice named the NFL's Executive of the Year during his 13-year stint in Atlanta, which featured seven playoff appearances, three division titles and a Super Bowl appearance in the 2016 season.
He won the award in 2008 after the Falcons went from 4-12 to 11-5 in his first year at the helm, then again in 2010 when they finished 13-3 and won the NFC South for the first time since the days of Michael Vick.
Dimitroff's biggest move in Atlanta was his first: drafting Matt Ryan third overall in 2008. He also assembled arguably the best receiving duo in football in Julio Jones (6th overall, 2011) and Calvin Ridley (26th overall, 2018), and found running back Devonta Freeman in the fourth round in 2014.
Dimitroff was fired by the Falcons in October along with head coach Dan Quinn after the team's 0-5 start. At the time, Atlanta was 14-23 dating back to 2018.
Prior to joining the Falcons, Dimitroff was the director of college scouting for the Patriots from 2003-07, during which time New England won two Super Bowls and played in a third.
Dimitroff is the third external candidate set to interview for Detroit's GM opening, along with former Texans GM Rick Smith and longtime TV analyst Louis Riddick. The Lions also interviewed three in-house candidates last week.