Tag: Brad Holmes

Lions Derrick Barnes says unfinished business key to signing of 3-year contract extension

ALLEN PARK — Detroit has become home to linebacker Derrick Barnes since the Lions drafted him in 2021. He did not want to leave.

Unfinished business was also a key reason Barnes signed a three-year $25.5 million contract extension with $16 million guaranteed and a $6.32 million signing bonus.

“When it came down to it I told my agent I wanted to go back home, I wanted to be in Detroit, that’s where I belong and we’re building something great, we’re continuing to build something great and I want to be a part of it,’’ Barnes said at a Monday press conference.

Barnes tore his PCL and MCL in his right knee in Week 3 last season. 

“The fact that they had that faith in me to pay me that amount of money coming off this injury is amazing to me,’’ Barnes said. “It’s emotional because I know a lot of people don’t get this opportunity especially coming off knee injuries.’’

He could only watch as the team won its second straight NFC North title and then fell apart, losing to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs.

“This is a winning program now. We’ve changed things, like I said, we’ve got the culture where going to the playoffs is not going to be enough for us. We need to be in the dance,’’ Barnes said. “That’s why we let the outsiders think what they want to think but we know who we are and what we’re capable of doing. That window is definitely still open and I’m super excited to be a part of it.’’

He loves the team that has been built under the direction of GM Brad Homes and coach Dan Campbell since they took over in 2021.

“We’re building something great here and I want to be a part of that,’’ Barnes said.

Physically he said the knee is fine now. He said he can take a deep breath and start training now that the deal is done.

“As far as my game, we saw a little glance of what I was becoming for three weeks (last year) and I think there’s a lot more to come – knowledge of the game and even physically I feel like I’ve taken a step and kind of just playing a little more of a leadership role. I’m kind of older in Year 5, which is crazy to think about.’’

He felt like he was playing his best ball at the time but thinks his best is yet to come. 

Kelvin Sheppard, who coached the linebackers the past three seasons, has been promoted to defensive coordinator after Aaron Glenn moved on to become head coach of the New York Jets. 

“Like you all know, we’ve seen that coming with (Sheppard). Passionate about the game, loves the game, loves the players, cares about the players. That’s one of the things I love about him is how passionate he is about getting players better and putting them in positions to be successful,’’ Barnes said. “That was a big part of my decision to come back to Detroit. He is a guy that anybody would want to play for. Him being D.C. I’m pretty sure every guy is going to buy into what he wants.’’

(Up next: NFL free agency officially begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.)

Lions GM Brad Holmes will not overreact after playoff loss; does not feel walls closing in

He fully trusts Dan Campbell to hire coordinators who are good fits

Do not look for Lions GM Brad Holmes to make “crazy wholesale changes” after the disappointing loss to the Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs. He thinks all the pieces are in place moving forward.

“Obviously it sucks, it’s humbling, but no overreaction. There’s nothing else to do but get back to work,’’ Holmes said at his end-of-season press conference on Thursday.

The level-headed GM has routinely said he won’t be a prisoner of the moment and this moment is no different.

“We’ll assess and evolve like we always do every year, we’ll work to improve, but literally there is nothing else to do but get back to work,’’ Holmes said. “That’s what we’ve been saying since Day One, it’s all about the work and that’s what we’ll continue to do.’’

He thought the Lions, whose defense was decimated by a slew of injuries, were very close this season winning 15 games, the NFC North title and earning the No. 1 seed. He’s confident about success next season.

“Nothing is going to alter what our approach has been in terms of trying to continue to improve and keep building. I did think we were very close, obviously felt very good about this season, but fell short. But we’re going to stay committed and stay committed to the process,’’ Holmes said.

He refuses to put a window – of sorts – on how many more years the Lions can contend for a Super Bowl.

“I understand that contrasts come up and stuff happens, but we feel so good about our young core and young nucleus of players and we feel really good about our quarterback (Jared Goff)  and how he’s playing — him having an MVP caliber season this year,’’ Holmes said. “I think all the pieces are in place. I don’t feel walls closing in or a window. And, again, we make an effort to avoid those kind of things.’’

ONE MORE THING

Holmes said they were prepared to lose coordinators Ben Johnson (who signed as head coach with the Bears) and Aaron Glenn (who is headed to the Jets). 

“I have so much respect for the unknown, you can’t know exactly what’s going to happen. Obviously we were prepared to lose those guys, those guys were great coaches. Call it what it is, we were lucky to have both of them this year,’’ Holmes said. “… I have the full faith and trust in Dan (Campbell) to make sure we’re going to have the right people in place in those spots.’’

Detroit Lions face tough decisions when it comes to wide receivers with roster cuts looming

ALLEN PARK — With the roster cutdown deadline at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes still have work to do.

“A tough 48 hours coming up, but I really appreciate these guys,’’ Campbell said at noon on Monday.

One position where some tough decisions must be made is at wide receiver. The three locks are Amon Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. It’s uncertain how many they will keep.

Undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams, who wears 83,  appears to have earned a roster spot with a consistent, steady showing at training camp.

“You guys know what 83 is, it’s shown up – he’s made plays all camp. He’s really more that slot, he falls into the mode a little bit like Saint (St. Brown), Lif (Raymond) and Tom Kennedy. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones, entering his fifth NFL season, and rookie Daurice Fountain, entering his fourth, are also in the mix. Both are 6-feet-2. 

“They are big guys, they are big receivers, they’ve got length to them and for their size they can run pretty good,’’ Campbell said. “So there’s that element of that – can you play big-boy ball outside, redzone comes into play. So if you don’t have it (size) you do feel a little small. You feel it would be nice to have the size. You wish that would show up a lot more but that’s what those two  guys bring – that’s that type of flavor that we talk about all the time. We would love to have a little bit of everything – you’ve got speed, you’ve got quickness, you’ve got size, gadget.’’

Campbell said he and Holmes have many questions to weigh.

“Have we seen enough out of those guys to where we feel like we can use them or need to use them sooner than later. Or will they provide value depth or role players? The other thing is special teams, how much do they bring on special teams,’’ Campbell said. “I don’t know it’s tough to say. It will all come into play.’’