The Detroit Lions were on the cusp of something historic—back-to-back division titles, a trip to the NFC Championship, and a roster stacked with young talent. But in the NFL, success comes with a cost. Now, GM Brad Holmes is staring down a roster built on seven first-round picks, knowing the bill is due. Meanwhile, head coach Dan Campbell isn’t just dealing with roster headaches—he’s also lost his trusted coordinators, including Ben Johnson, who’s now leading a division rival. But if you think Campbell is backing down, think again. He’s already fired his first shot at Johnson and the Bears.

Ahead of the NFL combine in Indianapolis, Holmes sat down to have a conversation with the NFL reporter, Mike Garofolo. He revealed the seven first-round picks, including a few from the 2022 NFL Draft. These include S Kerby Joseph, DE Aidan Hutchinson, LB Malcolm Rodriguez, DE Josh Paschal, and WR Jameson Williams. They are the key players for the Lions. They also had TE James Mitchell, LB James Houston, and CB Chase Lucas. But they are no longer with the Lions.

When Garofolo brought up the topic, Holmes nodded his head with amazement and said, “It’s good problems to have, but it does, you turn around, and you look back and it’s like, man, there is a bill to pay now. In the moment it’s like oh, we got Penei Sewell. Basically, it’s like wait, hold on, that’s 7 first-round picks, 7 graded first-round picks that we all like. It’s like I would like to keep those guys around.”

The Lions have already started to sort out their roster in the last off-season. Last offseason, they signed RT Penei Sewell to a 4-year $112 million extension till 2029. QB Jared Goff also signed a 4-year $212 million extension till 2027. However, they have 31 free agents. So, a big-time overhaul is incoming.

According to Over The Cap, the team has the 10th most cape space with $51.9 million. But they also need players at linebacker, cornerback, receiver, and tackle positions. It’s not a simple task. But Brad Holmes is in talks with Dan Campbell.

Holmes revealed that they are prepared. The GM added, “We’ve already started that work and that preparation to make those necessary adjustments, but yeah we gotta do what we gotta do.” The issues don’t stop there. They suffered a massive attrition to their coaching ranks when their OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn moved on after getting promotions to Head Coach. But the Lions’ head coach has a clear agenda on his mind.

Dan Campbell gives a friendly warning to Ben Johnson

Campbell has suffered the departure of his most trusted generals. Ben Johnson became the Bears HC while Aaron Glenn became the NY Jets HC. But Dan is already over it. While talking to reporters on February 26 ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine, he warned his former coach who will now be a divisional rival in the NFC North.

Not giving up on his drive to win, Dan Campbell had a subtle warning to Johnson and said, “Look, it’s no different than anything else. We line up and we play to win, no matter who’s over there. Listen, he’s still my friend and I love him dearly, but you know we’re gonna have to play him twice a year.” Both NFC North teams just made it more exciting with the coaches. That’s a threat that friendships will be set aside when the divisional rivals meet (at least) twice a year!

The Lions have already got their backup. While they promoted the LB coach Kelvin Sheppard to the DC position, they brought in the Broncos pass game coordinator John Morton as OC. The targets are already set for these two. Beat the Bears first. That’s the bare minimum.

It would be interesting how the Lions move through the free agency. Fans are hoping for success and the ultimate prize. The Super Bowl!