Martin Mayhew didn't want to say whether or not Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell will return to the club for the 2016 season -- mostly because the general manager didn't feel like he had enough capital in his own future to do so.
"That's a tough question," Mayhew told reporters in England on Friday. "I don't know the answer to that. I don't know if I have enough capital from anything, ever, so it's hard for me to start talking about other people's situation. The only way, the only way, to turn this thing around is to win football games, and we have a football game coming up in a couple days. And so I think we're all focused on winning that football game.
"And from your standpoint, you want to look out to what's going to happen, and next year, what's it look like, and trade deadline and all that. We're focused on beating the Chiefs. That's the only way out, is to start winning, and to win every game we have an opportunity to win."
Mayhew was asked whether Caldwell had done enough in his first season -- taking the Lions to the playoffs with an 11-5 record, tied for the second-best mark in franchise history -- to warrant a third season no matter what happens the rest of this year. The Lions are 1-6 right now and among the worst teams in the NFL.
The GM, in his seventh year with the franchise, said he believes in Caldwell and that he can turn the franchise around from the rough start to this season.
"If anybody can turn this thing around, Jim Caldwell can," Mayhew said. "I believe in him."
During a half-hour session with media in England on Friday, Mayhew also said he needs to be better as a drafter.
He's had some hits -- DeAndre Levy, Theo Riddick and Caraun Reid come to mind -- but he's also had some high-profile misses, including almost all of his second-round selections.
He said he understands he needs to improve.
"I gotta do a better job drafting across the board in general," Mayhew told reporters in England on Friday. "And by no means do I mean I've been outstanding in terms of our draft. We've drafted some really good players and we've missed on some players. I think if you look around the league, that's pretty common.
"But we want to be perfect. We want to be perfect."
Mayhew has been far from perfect during the draft. The Lions have no players left on the roster from the 2010 or 2011 drafts -- including first-round selections Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. The Lions have also been unsuccessful with second-round picks, including receivers Titus Young and Ryan Broyles, running back Mikel Leshoure, safety Louis Delmas and linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
All except Van Noy, who was taken in the second round in 2014, are no longer with the franchise. In fact, only Van Noy and Delmas, who Mayhew took in the second round in 2009, are on any NFL roster at this point.
In addition to Van Noy, the Lions still have two other second-round picks on the roster: 2015 rookie running back Ameer Abdullah and 2013 cornerback Darius Slay. Both have been major contributors this season.
