Detroit Lions approval poll: GM Brad Holmes (October 2021)

On Thursday, we polled Detroit Lions fans to gauge their opinion on head coach Dan Campbell. Overwhelmingly, we saw support in favor of Campbell, most pointing to the coach’s leadership qualities and ability to keep his team engaged and competing to the final whistle. The 0-5 start, many said, was simply because the roster is arguably the worst in the league.

The man at least partially responsible for that roster is at the center of today’s poll. First-year general manager Brad Holmes walked into a tough situation. He had a franchise quarterback ask for a trade as soon as he stepped in the building. He had a lot of bloated contracts for mediocre talent he had to manage, and he had very little money to work with in free agency this year.

But Holmes’ approach was not without its faults. He took a chance at wide receiver, letting the likes of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. walk and replacing them with Tyrell Williams and Breshad Perriman. Perriman didn’t end up making the roster and Williams suffered a Week 1 injury he hasn’t return from yet.

Holmes also made some questionable contract decisions this offseason. Though he was up against the cap, he chose to restructure Jamie Collins’ contract to spread it over future years, but now that the linebacker has been cut, turning some of that salary into guaranteed money ended up burning Detroit. Several are starting to question whether making that same move with Jared Goff was a mistake.

It’s far too early to judge Holmes’ first draft class, but the “He should have drafted Justin Fields” crowd is only getting louder with Goff’s struggles and Penei Sewell’s up-and-down start to his career.

Before we get into your approval vote, here’s a look at Holmes’ approval ratings through nine months on the job.

March 2021 (pre-free agency): 97 percent approval
May 2021 (post-draft): 98 percent
September 2021 (post-cuts): 90 percent

Now it’s time for you to vote. Do you approve of the job Holmes is doing as Lions GM?