Brad Holmes on Jeff Okuda’s trade: I think it was the right time

The Lions severed ties with the former regime’s first-round pick earlier this month, trading cornerback Jeff Okuda to the Falcons.

General Manager Brad Holmes was asked about the deal during his initial press conference Thursday and echoed head coach Dan Campbell’s opinion that it was the best thing for everyone involved.

“I think it was Good timesaid Holmes. “I think it was the right time, I think it was good for Jeff. I had a really good talk with him after he finished and he totally understood it as well. So, it was great. I really respect what Jeff did. We kind of put him through some heady moments in training camp last year and as I told you guys, I really respected how he was fighting and didn’t gossip and he won the primary mission. We had a conversation, “Well, that didn’t happen now, is there a chance it could happen in a little while?” So I guess it was good for Jeff.

“I have a lot of respect for Terry over there in Atlanta. It was a really smooth and efficient process. And it just kind of showed. Again, as I was telling you guys about [T.J.] Hockenson trade, I wasn’t making a lot of calls. And I wasn’t actively shopping or anything like that. You get the call and sometimes they just line up and it makes sense to all parties, and it did.”

The #3 pick in the 2020 draft, Okuda dealt with numerous injuries in his first two seasons, playing just 10 games with seven starts. Then he started 15 games with Detroit last year, recording 73 total tackles, seven passes defensed, one forced fumble and an interception.

See also  Heat vs. Nuggets, how to watch, odds, where to stream and more


The Lions took home the 2023 Falcons’ Fifth Round pick against Okudah.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *