The Lions came as close to the Super Bowl in 2023 as they ever have. Detroit, which blew a big lead to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, is among the 12 teams never to win a Super Bowl.

Lions General Manager Brad Holmes doesn’t want to hear about a Super Bowl “window.”

They want to have sustained success as the Patriots did and the Chiefs are doing, rather than going “all-in” for one title as the Rams did in 2021.

“I understand the question because you’re like, ‘OK, all right, the roster’s at a certain point. OK, you guys should be contenders headed into the season, so, OK, how do you operate this way?’” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But again, I just think if we just keep improving every single year through doing it through our process, that’s what we’ve been doing and that’s what we’ll continue to do. And I think when you start getting into, ‘Well, we’ve got this window, so we’ve got this and we’ve got to pivot,’ that’s when I think you kind of get into a little bit of trouble.”

The Lions have built through the draft, with offensive lineman Penei Sewell, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, Kerby Joseph, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta among the homegrown talent.

Quarterback Jared Goff was obtained in a trade with the Rams in 2021, and the Lions added defensive back Carlton Davis, defensive tackle D.J. Reader and offensive guard Kevin Zeitler this offseason.

They own the 29th pick in next week’s draft, and Holmes said it’s important the team “stick to the same process.” He conceded the Lions could trade out of the first round and jokingly said he hopes fans will forgive them if they do.