The Detroit Lions will enter the 2026 season with new leadership at the top, as president and CEO Rod Wood announced his retirement Wednesday after 11 seasons guiding the franchise.
Wood, who joined the organization midway through the 2015 campaign, thanked the Ford family and Lions fans in a statement, calling his tenure “an absolute thrill” and expressing pride in leaving the team in the hands of owner Sheila Hamp, general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell. Wood was instrumental in hiring Holmes and Campbell in 2021, a partnership widely credited with revitalizing a franchise that had long struggled to find sustained success.
Under that leadership group, Detroit’s turnaround accelerated late in the 2022 season and carried into a historic 2023 campaign. The Lions captured their first NFC North title and hosted a playoff game at Ford Field for the first time, advancing to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. They followed that breakthrough by setting single-season franchise records with 15 wins and 564 points, earning back-to-back division titles and the NFC’s No. 1 seed, though their season ended in the Divisional Round.
Wood will remain in his role until a successor is appointed, with the search process already underway. Hamp thanked Wood for his leadership and noted the organization is positioned for a promising future. As he steps away, the foundation he helped build — including contract extensions for Holmes and Campbell in 2024 — leaves the Lions firmly established as one of the NFC’s contenders.
