Report: Brad Holmes ‘favorite’ for Lions GM, as George Paton takes Broncos job

The Detroit Lions candidate list for their general manager job just got shortened by one. According to several reports now—but first broken by ESPN’s Adam Schefter—the Denver Broncos are signing Vikings assistant general manager George Paton to a six-year deal.

Paton was linked to the Lions job as a potential finalist, and Detroit had an in with Chris Spielman knowing Paton personally.

But according to Schefter, the Lions are now the favorites to land Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes.

Holmes is expected to have his in-person interview with the Lions on Wednesday after flying on on Tuesday night. Though there are reports Detroit wants to bring other candidates in, like the Saints’ Jeff Ireland and Terry Fontenot, as well as Ed Dodds, it appears Holmes’ ability to get in the door first has placed him at the top of Detroit’s list.

Obviously, this is a developing story, so we’ll continue to update as more news comes in. But for now: Paton is out, Holmes has jumped to the top of the list.

UPDATE: Ian Rapoport believes Terry Fontenot is still a finalist for the Lions job, while Albert Breer adds Ireland and Dodds to the list.