When Rod Wood arrived in Detroit, the Lions were searching for direction. Eleven years later, he leaves behind a modernized stadium, a unified front office and a contender built for January. His retirement marks the end of one of the franchise’s most transformative eras.
The Detroit Lions will soon close a significant chapter in franchise history.
Team president Rod Wood is set to retire, ending an 11-year run that coincided with one of the most transformative stretches the organization has experienced in decades. From 2015 through 2026, Wood helped guide the Lions from instability and skepticism to sustained relevance and championship contention.
Wood arrived in Detroit in 2015 after a long and successful career with Ford Motor Company, where he held several high-level financial roles. A trusted executive within the Ford family’s business operations, Wood brought corporate discipline and financial acumen to a franchise that needed structural clarity as much as on-field success.
His hiring signaled a shift. The Lions were determined to modernize their business operations while building a football infrastructure capable of long-term competitiveness.
One of Wood’s most visible accomplishments came off the field. Under his leadership, the Lions undertook significant upgrades to Ford Field investing hundreds of millions of dollars into renovations that modernized fan amenities, locker rooms and premium spaces. The improvements positioned Ford Field as a premier NFL venue and helped Detroit land marquee events, elevating the franchise’s national profile.
But Wood’s influence extended well beyond bricks and mortar.
Internally, he played a key role in reshaping the organization’s leadership structure. After years of uneven results, the Lions recalibrated their football operations. Wood was instrumental in hiring general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell — a pairing that ultimately redefined the team’s identity. While Wood was not making draft picks or calling plays, his support and stability at the executive level created an environment where football leadership could operate with alignment and clarity.
That alignment paid off.
During Wood’s tenure, the Lions transitioned from a franchise known more for frustration than fulfillment to one competing deep into January. Playoff appearances became more frequent, and the culture inside the building shifted. Detroit’s identity — physical, resilient and unapologetically aggressive — reflected a broader organizational commitment to long-term planning rather than short-term fixes.
Wood also oversaw improvements in the team’s financial health and community presence. The Lions strengthened partnerships across metro Detroit and invested heavily in outreach initiatives. Attendance and fan engagement climbed as the on-field product improved, reinforcing the connection between franchise stability and community trust.
Perhaps Wood’s greatest contribution was steadiness.
When he took over in 2015, the Lions were navigating change and uncertainty. Ownership had transitioned more visibly to Sheila Ford Hamp in later years, and the franchise needed continuity at the top. Wood provided that. His corporate background lent itself to methodical decision-making and fiscal responsibility, but he also demonstrated a willingness to adapt as the NFL evolved.
Under his watch, the Lions embraced analytics, expanded their scouting resources and committed significant capital to retaining core players. The front office became proactive rather than reactive. That philosophical shift helped Detroit build one of the league’s most balanced rosters by the mid-2020s.
Wood was never the public face of the franchise in the way a head coach or star quarterback might be. His impact was quieter, operating behind closed doors and in boardrooms rather than on sidelines. Yet his fingerprints are on many of the organization’s most meaningful advancements over the past decade.
As he steps away, the Lions do so from a position far stronger than when he arrived. The stadium is modernized, the football operation is aligned and the team is firmly in the NFL’s competitive conversation.
Executives are often judged by wins and losses, even when they do not directly participate in either. By that measure — and by the structural health of the franchise he leaves behind — Rod Wood’s tenure will be remembered as a pivotal era in Detroit’s resurgence.
For a franchise long searching for stability, Wood helped deliver it.