After signing David Montgomery in free agency and selecting Jahmyr Gibbs on Thursday night, the Lions traded running back D'Andre Swift to the Eagles.

Detroit General Manager Brad Holmes said on Saturday afternoon that he felt like the trade was the best thing for all parties.

“I always say, and I think I told you guys around the [T.J.] Hocknsen trade, is it’s my job to keep laser focus on the present but probably, more importantly, keep laser focus on the future,” Holmes said in his press conference. “And that’s what went into a lot of the decision with having to make the trade with D’Andre Swift to Philly. He was [going into the] last year of his contract and if I go back to last year, I felt really good about us being able to bring back Jamaal Williams. I felt confident as the season ended. I felt good about our conversations with his camp. And it didn’t happen. so, you have to just be prepared for all those things.

“We don’t draft scared. We don’t play scared. The thing with Jahmyr Gibbs is, that’s the guy that we loved. But, again, having to keep that laser focus for the future, all these things become a part of it. But also, we want to do the right thing for the player. So, that’s kind of how we do it.

“I think at the end of the day, him being able to go back to his hometown on a really, really good team that was just in the Super Bowl, I think it was a win-win for all parties involved.”

Swift had 931 yards on 147 touches with eight touchdowns in 14 games. He tallied 542 yards rushing with five TDs and 48 catches for 389 yards with three TDs.

Holmes added that the draft compensation received — a future fourth-round pick — was a big part of why he felt comfortable making the deal.

“I said it the other night, D’Andre Swift’s a dynamic, electric football player,” Holmes said. “So, that was important and part of the trade, is you’ve got to get — if you’re going to depart ways with a player of that caliber, of that magnitude and when he’s out there, what he can do, you’ve got to get what we would say [is] fair compensation. So, me and [Eagles G.M.] Howie [Roseman] — got a lot of respect for Howie — we just kind of talked about it over some few days and we were able to get it done.”

Brad Holmes: I think D’Andre Swift trade was a win-win for all involved originally appeared on Pro Football Talk