:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48527301/GettyImages-71448655.0.jpg)
This could be quick, if you believe the word making its way around the NFL insider circuit on Friday. The Lions wanted to interview four individuals for the job, but may not have even gotten that far, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday that his sources indicated that the Lions would go ahead and hire Bob Quinn, the current director of pro scouting with the New England Patriots.
Detroit Lions are expected to hire Patriots director of pro scouting Bob Quinn as their general manager, league sources told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2016
Shortly thereafter, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported from his own sources that the Lions would indeed hire Quinn. He also reported that the Lions and Quinn are working out the final details of his contract late on Friday.
If true, this would be the first general manager position held by Bob Quinn, although he has served in a personnel role for many years. His background is drawn primarily from scouting, and he worked his way up through the ranks to his current position with the Patriots. We recently profiled him and his credentials on Pride Of Detroit. Adam Schefter broke the news on Monday that the Lions were planning to interview Bob Quinn, making this series of events, if confirmed, a rather quick turnaround.
Per Rapoport, Quinn had Patriots head coach Bill Belichick's support, which helped in this process. Also, of the four candidates that the Lions have interviewed, they reportedly did not get around to interviewing Seattle's co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner.
For the record, a Lions spokesman told Josh Katzsenstein of the Detroit News that they had "nothing to report" at this time. Take that as you will. We will continue to monitor the development.
Updated 8:30 pm E.T. 1/8/2016: The Detroit Lions have announced they have agreed in principle to a contract that will make Bob Quinn the general manager. It's official. All that remains are the details. The headline has been updated accordingly.
#Lions have agreed in principle to a contract with Bob Quinn. More details via @ttwentyman: https://t.co/9i0Wg30mv8 pic.twitter.com/960GN0SjVr
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 9, 2016