On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions made one of the biggest trades of the season when they dealt tight end T.J. Hockenson and fourth-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 NFL drafts (the 2024 pick is conditional) in exchange for a second-round pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024. A day later, Lions general manager Brad Holmes spoke to the media and he insisted that he would have traded Hockenson even if the Lions’ record (currently 1-6) was reversed.
What did Brad Holmes say about trading T.J. Hockenson?
Earlier today, Brad Holmes spoke to the media and he made himself very clear that the decision to trade Hockenson had nothing to do with the Lions’ record.
“This move was not reflective of our record,” Holmes said Wednesday. “If our record was reversed and it made sense for us, then we would have still done it. So it wasn’t anything of that nature, but it made sense for us and we just move forward.”
Via Dave Birkett – Detroit Free Press
This is certainly a very telling comment by Holmes, especially considering Hockenson leads the team in receiving yards in 2022. It is clear that the plan was always to trade him rather than offer him a mega contract extension.
Brad Holmes admits Lions are still rebuilding
Both Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have been very careful about calling the Lions’ current situation a “rebuild,” but on Wednesday, Holmes admitted exactly that.
“We’re still in the build phase,” he said. “So I mean, with the capital that we received back from a compensation standpoint, I just think it made a lot of sense for us to continue on this build.”
Regardless of what Holmes and Campbell previously said, they inherited a trash roster, and though they are in Year 2, there is still a lot of work to be done before they are in a position to truly contend.
Nation, do you believe Holmes when he says he would have traded Hockenson even if the Lions’ record was flipped?
