When Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes spoke to reporters at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, he effectively shut down the idea of adding a notable edge rusher. He also acknowledged the challenge of rewarding players who have earned it.

“We’re at a point with our roster where we’ve identified many young core pieces we want to keep, but unfortunately, the tough part is making decisions on other players’ contracts, knowing you may not be able to keep everyone you’d like to,” Holmes explained. “It’s not that you don’t want these players; it’s just that you can’t have everybody.”

One “consequence” of the Lions’ successful drafting is that players are proving worthy of big second contracts. Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown have already received this recognition from Holmes’ first draft class, while Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, and Jameson Williams are next in line from the 2022 class. The 2023 class (Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, Brian Branch) will soon follow.

Holmes spoke again on NFL Network’s “The Insiders” from Indianapolis on Wednesday. Mike Garafolo highlighted how the Lions have been built in Holmes’ vision and the “good problem” of needing to reward players with contract extensions.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Holmes said. “But then you look back, and you realize, ‘There’s a bill to pay.’ In the moment, it’s like, ‘You’ve got Penei Sewell, two first-round picks in 2022, two more firsts, and two second-round picks in 2023 that are basically like first-rounders.’ It’s like, ‘Hold on, that’s seven first-round picks we all like.’ We want to keep those guys around, but then you have Kerby Joseph in the third round, Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth. It adds up. It changes the decisions you make in free agency. We’ve already started that work and preparation, but we have to do what we must do.”

Prioritizing contract extensions doesn’t mean the Lions won’t be active in free agency or the trade market. However, it means their approach to adding outside talent will be calculated and targeted, which has always been the case when looking for players who fit the intangibles that Holmes and Dan Campbell value.

Holmes didn’t say anything out of the ordinary to Garafolo regarding the Lions’ plans for 2025 free agency. If he had, it would have been surprising.