Lions interview three internal candidates for GM opening

The Detroit Lions responded to a 41-25 loss to the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving by firing head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn days after that defeat. 

On Friday, the Lions confirmed that they interviewed internal candidates Kyle O'Brien, Lance Newmark and Rob Lohman for the GM opening. 

O'Brien has served as the Lions' vice president of player personnel since he was promoted to that position in 2017. He previously spent time in the front offices of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots and could be considered the favorite, on paper, among the three names mentioned by the Lions on Friday. 

Newmark has spent 23 of his 25 NFL years in the player personnel department of the Lions. In 2017, he was promoted to Detroit's director of player personnel.

Lohman has held multiple positions with the Lions since 2014, including assistant director of pro personnel, assistant director of pro scouting, and pro scouting director. 

As Kevin Patra explained for the league's official website, these discussions are only the beginning of Detroit's latest reboot. Interviews of external candidates not employed by the club "should begin in the coming weeks." 

Whoever lands the GM job will be tasked with determining the future of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, who turns only 33 years old next February but remains on a massive contract Detroit likely would prefer to dump as soon as this offseason, if possible.