Detroit Lions Make Surprising Change to Offseason Plans

The Detroit Lions are shaking things up this offseason, and not in a small way. In a surprising move, Detroit has decided to cancel rookie minicamp entirely for 2026, opting instead for a reworked approach to player development following last season’s disappointing 9-8 finish. A different approach to development Typically, NFL teams use rookie minicamp as an early introduction for draft picks, undrafted free agents, and tryout players.

Not this year in Detroit. General manager Brad Holmes made it clear this wasn’t a random decision, it was part of a bigger evaluation of everything the organization does. “I had told you guys at the end of the season, me and Dan [Campbell] were going to take a long, hard look at every single thing from top to bottom and that’s what we did,” Holmes said via the Detroit Free Press.

Not removing—replacing Holmes emphasized that the Lions aren’t simply eliminating part of the process. They believe they’re improving it. “Not doing things just to do it just because you feel like you have to do it,” Holmes said.

“You can’t be scared when you want to try something new that you think is going to be better for your football team. ” So while minicamp is gone, something else is taking its place—though the team hasn’t shared exactly what that will look like. “We’re not just removing it and just using that idle time to twiddle our thumbs,” Holmes added.