Washington Commanders hire Detroit Lions longtime key executive Lance Newmark
They went elsewhere for their new head coach, but the Washington Commanders are raiding the Detroit Lions for help for their front office.
The Commanders hired Lions senior director of player personnel Lance Newmark as their new assistant general manager on Wednesday.
"I am thrilled to welcome Lance Newmark to the Washington Commanders," Commanders general manager Adam Peters said in a statement released by the team. "Lance is someone that I have known and respected in the scouting community my entire career. He is a highly respected talent evaluator and a great leader who will fit perfectly into what we're building here in Washington."
Newmark was one of the longest-tenured members of the Lions organization, joining the club's scouting staff in 1999 and serving a variety of roles the past 25 years.
A LITTLE HELP? J.J. Watt: Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson will challenge for NFL sack title soon
As senior director of player personnel, he oversaw day-to-day operations of the Lions' football information and football technology departments and had a role in both pro and college scouting.
The Commanders interviewed Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for their head coaching job before hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Glenn was considered a finalist for the job, while Johnson withdrew his name from the running before his second interview. Before withdrawing from consideration, Johnson was considered a frontrunner for the job.
Newmark, who previously served as director of player personnel (2016-21) and director of college scouting (2015-16) for the Lions, interviewed for the Lions' GM job when they hired Brad Holmes in 2021.
LOVE THIS TEAM: Lions get into holiday spirit with team-inspired Valentine's Day cards
He's the second high-ranking Lions executive to leave for an assistant GM post in the past two years. Last January, the Arizona Cardinals hired former Lions director of college scouting Dave Sears as their assistant GM.
"I want to thank Brad Holmes and the Lions organization for being first class in working with us on the process of bringing Lance to the DMV," Peters said in his statement. "Lance is a phenomenal person, and he will immediately elevate our overall personnel function here at the Commanders. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome Lance and his family to Washington."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions exec Lance Newmark hired by Washington Commanders
