Brad Holmes wanted more youth. What he got was the youngest Lions team in quite a while
Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes wanted to get younger this offseason. Mission accomplished. Detroit is now one of the youngest teams in football, and it might completely change how fans view this team’s future.
The Detroit Lions came into the offseason with a clear plan. Get younger. That meant partying ways with veterans like Taylor Decker, Alex Anzalone, Amik Robertson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, and more.
The Lions brought in a few veterans in their 30s, but they brought in 12 players in their 20s in free agency and then drafted seven players and signed one UDFA’s. Suddenly, the Lions are a very young team. But how young?
The Lions are now the sixth-youngest team in the NFL
Back in May, before some changes were made, they were the 13th youngest team in the NFL. They were sitting at an average age of 25.93. Now they’re sitting at 25.67. That puts them right above the Raiders, who are 25.73, and right below the Packers, who are 25.64.
This makes the Lions the youngest they’ve been since 2022.
Lions average ages in the Brad Holmes era
- 2021: 25.3
- 2022: 25.2
- 2023: 25.7
- 2024: 25.73
- 2025: 26.6
Now, there will be some changes to this when it comes time to start the season. Not all of these UDFA’s are going to be there on all these teams, so everyone shifts up or down. But the Lions would still be a very young team. If we base it on our latest 53-man roster prediction, the Lions would have an average age of 27.77. That would move them to the eighth youngest team in the league.
This team is just flat out young. Which makes it weird when you hear people say their window is closed like they’re a bunch of 30-year dudes nearing retirement.
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