The New York Jets just hired Denver Broncos assistant GM Darrenmougey on Saturday. While that may not seem like a big deal for the Detroit Lions, it is for multiple little reasons and then one big one.
The first one is that Lions special assistant to the owner and CEO Chris Speilman interviewed for the Jets GM job and he had an actual shot there since his brother, former Vikings GM Rick Spielman was heading up the search firm the Jets hired to fill the role.
Speilman has quietly been a big part of the Lions’ rebuild and was part of the group that sat in on Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes interviews and was one of the reasons they got hired. Sheila Hamp needed a football person in a high place to help her and Lions president Rod Wood and Speilman is that guy.
The other thing is that there is one less GM job to be filled. They’re almost all gone now. The Jags are the only ones left. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham is considered to be the favorite there.
That means if nobody else gets interviews, the Lions can keep key front office players like assistant GM Ray Agnew and COO Mike Disner. Both are expected to be NFL GMs at some point. Speaking of guys that helped Brad Holmes get hired, Disner played a big role in that.
The big overarching one is that this means the Lions get to keep their front office together for the 2025 season. This is the group that has been building this team up since 2021 and in a year where so much is changing, the Lions get to not change one of the biggest things about their team.
So instead of stressing about replacements and interviews and all that, the Lions can immediately get to work on free agency and the draft and be ahead of the game on things.