While the Detroit Lions are officially in offseason mode after failing to return to the NFL postseason for what would have been a third straight year, fans can hang their hat on the knowledge that Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes, and the rest of the organization will work diligently to get back to that level of success that will eventually culminate in the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance.
Campbell, who has now been on the job for five seasons, was recently honored by ESPN by being named the NFL’s best coaching hire since 2021.
NFL Insider Bill Barnwell cited the improvements for the Lions in not only their trades, free agency, and drafting, but the overall culture shift for a franchise that had been dead in the water for so long.
“It’s worth noting just how low the Lions were before Campbell arrived. Detroit had gone 14-33-1 under Matt Patricia and interim coach Darrell Bevell,” Barnwell wrote for ESPN. “It hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991. One of the first things new general manager Brad Holmes did was trade Matthew Stafford to the Rams for two first-round picks and Jared Goff, who was essentially a salary dump from an organization that had completely lost faith in the 2016 first overall pick. The only significant player from the roster Campbell inherited who is still on the team in 2025 is offensive tackle Taylor Decker. This has been a complete rebuild in Detroit.”
Barnwell continued:
“It took a year and a half of frustrating losses, but Campbell turned the Lions into one of the league’s model organizations. Yes, 2025 was a frustrating year, as the Lions missed departed offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, dealt with injuries and ran into some tough luck in one-score games, but they have one of the best rosters in football. Campbell’s aggressive decision-making on fourth down has been a huge plus, even if the Lions haven’t succeeded 100% of the time in those situations. They came within a drop or two of making it to the Super Bowl in 2023, and they overachieved in 2024 by winning 15 games despite being down to third-stringers on defense.”
Barnwell Believes Dan Campbell Has The Best Chance To Still Be Coaching The Detroit Lions Years From Now
Barnwell concluded his evaluation of Campbell by saying he leads his picks of coaches with the best chance to still be in the same position 15 years from now.
“Put it this way: If you had to predict a single hire from the past five years to still be in his current job 15 years from now, whom would you pick? My choice would be Campbell, who has become the face of the franchise in Detroit,” he wrote.
The Lions Eventually Turned A Corner Under Dan Campbell
While it did take over a full season for the Lions to turn things around under Campbell, he’s already been able to boast several accomplishments since returning to the club he played for during his own NFL career.
Under Campbell, the Lions not only broke a 30+ year division title drought, but also returned to the playoffs for the first time since that division title.
He’s also already the third winningest coach in franchise history.
ESPN Announces Lions Coach Dan Campbell News