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The Detroit Lions are in the thick of the interview process as it relates to their next general manager, but could a name already be rising to the forefront?
According to an NFL insider, the answer is yes. Recently, Houston Chronicle Texans beat writer Aaron Wilson went on an episode of Texans Brawl and claimed that “there’s a good chance” former Atlanta Falcons’ general manager Thomas Dimitroff will end up as the general manager in Detroit.
On the latest episode of the @TexansBrawl, #NFLInsider @AaronWilson_NFL says ‘there is a good chance’ former #Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff will be named the next GM of the #DetroitLions. #BrawlNetwork
Wilson is a prominent NFL insider with his finger on the pulse of what goes on around the league and he’s broken stories before in terms of signings and personnel moves, so this report could certainly have some legs. Wilson might also know the favorites for general manager jobs around the league considering the Texans are going through the process at the same time as Detroit. Whether Dimitroff has been interviewed yet or not is still in question considering the Lions haven’t officially revealed the interview yet.
According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the Lions were supposed to interview Dimitroff for their GM job at some point this week. Dimitroff is coming off being fired during the 2020 season with the Falcons.
Dimitroff is an interesting candidate given he has not been out of football long at all and could simply jump from one job to the other without much transition period. Dimitroff also has the advantage of having worked in Detroit before early in his career, so he would certainly know what to expect from the team and the franchise, perhaps giving him a bit of a leg up over other candidates in the process.
Interestingly, the Lions are also set to interview Dimitroff’s former lieutenant Scott Pioli for general manager as well. Could Pioli also join Detroit in some capacity if not as general manager? Considering their history together in Atlanta, it’s more than possible this is something to watch at this point if Dimitroff gets the job.
Obviously, stay tuned in the coming weeks.
Thomas Dimitroff Worked With Lions Before
Dimitroff, 54, has been working in football nearly his whole life. After starting as a CFL scout following college, Dimitroff worked with the Cleveland Browns as a grounds crew member, then joining forces with Bill Belichick. He worked with the Kansas City Chiefs as a part time scout in 1993, before getting his big break with the Lions in 1994 where he became an area scout until 1997. He was a college scout for the Browns from 1998 until 2001, then joining the Patriots to become their director of college scouting from 2003-2007. During that time, Dimitroff captured two Super Bowl titles in New England.
From there, Atlanta tapped Dimitroff to become their general manager, and he presided over a successful run with the Falcons which led to a near victory in Super Bowl LI as well as a pair of Executive of the Year honors. The team struggled recently, though, and Dimitroff along with head coach Dan Quinn was let go this season. That doesn’t diminish his overall success in drafting and developing a successful team for over a decade in Atlanta.
Lions General Manager Interviews
Detroit hasn’t seen any new interviews or targets revealed this week, and the team might still be waiting until the in-season candidates can be interviewed in order to push their search forward. So far, it’s been revealed that the team has spoken with their in-house candidates, as well as ESPN’s Louis Riddick, former Texans GM and EVP Rick Smith and Scott Pioli as well. Dimitroff has been said to be in the mix too.
Detroit could add more candidates in the coming weeks once they can speak to other NFL teams about their candidates, but for now, Dimitroff could be a major contender for the job at the very least.
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Rumor: ‘Good Chance’ Former NFL General Manager Gets Hired by Lions