As the 2024 season has shown, Lions general manager Brad Holmes has enjoyed a successful run in charge of the franchise. One of his top assistants might soon receive opportunities to lead a front office of his own, however.
[RELATED: OC Ben Johnson Open To Remaining With Lions In 2025]
Ray Agnew – who has served as an assistant GM under Holmes since 2021 – is expected to be on the interview radar of interested teams during the 2025 cycle, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports. Agnew followed Holmes from the Rams to the Lions. He has remained a key front office figure ever since.
Agnew’s playing career lasted from 1990-2000, and it included time with the Rams for their Super Bowl XXXIV-winning team. He first worked with the Jets on the personnel side before spending time with the Rams from 2017-20. He held the title of pro personnel director during that span, and his success in that role made him a logical candidate to take on increased responsibilities under Holmes in Detroit.
The Lions have built one of the league’s top rosters over recent years, with one of the key moves in that regard of course being the Matthew Stafford–Jared Goff swap. Detroit has a number of other foundational players on both sides of the ball, many of whom received extensions during the offseason (or during the year, in the case of running back David Montgomery). Defenders like Aidan Hutchinson and Brian Branch have been added through the draft, and they represent future extension priorities. Replacing Agnew’s contributions during the Holmes era would represent a notable challenge for the Lions if he were to depart.
One general manager vacancy is in place for now, with the Jets having moved on from Joe Douglas. New York has brought in Mike Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman to assist with the process of finding his replacement. It will be interesting to see if the team looks into first-year GM candidates, something which could leave Agnew as an option. If not, the 56-year-old could still be a name to watch for other openings this winter.
Any GM candidate that leaves a winning team to join a team with an opening needs to be choosy about where they go. Don’t just leave for the title of GM only to discover you work for an owner who makes all the personnel decisions for you, and then fires you a couple of years later when they don’t go well.
If Agnew is anything like Brad Holmes or Ben Johnson, he will be choosy when it comes to his next job. He won’t leave to go to a team like he Jets wheen he knows Woody Johnson would be absolutely brutal to work for!