Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions.
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The Detroit Lions may have an "internal conflict" happening between Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes as the 2026-27 season nears.
The Detroit Lions have enjoyed some of their best years under the leadership of Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes, including getting to the NFC championship game in 2024 for the first time since 1992. But, according to a report, there may be trouble in paradise.
This past year was rough for the Detroit Lions. The team landed at the bottom of the NFC North, according to ESPN research, with a 9-8 record and no trip to the postseason. The past season really did make it seem like the team’s Super Bowl window had already closed, but time will be the judge of that.
After the team’s final game of the season, Campbell told reporters that the team was able to play complimentary football, stating, “Look, we were able to get off the field, and so we didn’t get any of these explosive runs. They hit a couple, but, okay, seven yard gain and able to get two more stops, we get off the field, and so the three-and-outs were big.”
He later added, “It’s hard to figure out what you want to get to, what you’re trying to set up for the next time, if you’re able to go three and out or six and out, you know, and so that was big for our defense. They really set the tone for the day. There again, just complementary football.”
So, Campbell was positive after the regular season wrapped up, even with the dismal showing and no trip to the playoffs. But now, things may have gotten sticky in the Lions’ camp.
Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions May Have Disagreements Internally, Report States
According to 97.1 FM’s Mike Valenti, there may be some friction in the Lions’ camp. During his show on Thursday, March c19, Valenti was asked by a listener about Detroit’s approach to free agency. Then, he said that perhaps Campbell and Holmes aren’t agreeing on how to move forward for the 2026-27 season.
“Well, I’ll answer your question this way. And I’m not being coy, but I’m also not in the business of burning people,” he said, according to Candace Pedraza of SideLion Report. “Someone who covers the team told me that this was the first offseason there are definite differences of opinions in roster construction between Dan and Brad.”
In Pedraza’s piece on this idea of Campbell and Holmes having different views, he says that the “Lions could be facing some internal conflict amid free agency.”
Detroit Lions Management May Want Bigger Deals
“Detroit has had a very cheap free agency, doling out the most money for their next presumptive center, Cade Mays,” he states in the piece. “Aside from him, it’s been a ton of smaller, one-year deals to fill gaps in their secondary, on their offensive line, and somewhat in their defensive trenches.”
He adds that “what’s most interesting about this rumor, though, is that either Holmes or Campbell could be looking to get more aggressive.”
Knowing that Holmes likes to keep things cheap, we’re guessing that it’s Campbell who wants to go bigger. It’s difficult to blame him.