The Lions’ general manager search this year was a new experience for most of the people involved.
William Clay Ford Sr. was still the owner the last time the Lions hired a GM in 2009, and his son, Bill Ford Jr., played a prominent role in the organization at that time.
This year, Martha Firestone Ford, who’s been owner since Ford Sr. died two years ago, had an active role in the search. President Rod Wood, who only started working in the NFL in November, was heavily involved, too.
And the man who eventually earned the job, Bob Quinn, had never interviewed for a GM opportunity.