Getty Lions head coach Dan Campbell reacts to a play in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Detroit Lions found their man in Dan Campbell, and the head coach is planning to stay in Detroit rather than bolting to take a high-profile job at his alma mater.
Campbell had already been named as a dark-horse candidate to take over the Texas A&M head coaching job vacated when the team fired Jimbo Fisher. An insider reported that the A&M program made a soft inquiry into Campbell’s availability, but was apparently rebuffed.
CBS Sports reporter Dennis Dodd noted that A&M reached out to Campbell’s team, who made it clear that he had no desire to leave the program in Detroit.
“Sources told CBS Sports on Tuesday. After backchannel communications were initiated by the Aggies, it was made clear that Campbell would be staying in the NFL with the Lions,” Dodd reported.
Dan Campbell Seen as Ideal Candidate
Though Campbell has turned the Lions from a bottom-dwelling doormat into a title contender, he was seen as a realistic target for an Aggies program with deep pockets and a desire to contend for a national title. The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman broke down a list of candidates for the job, naming Campbell as a “big wild-card wish candidate.”
Feldman noted that Campbell had the connections to the program and a track record of success in turning around underperforming teams.
📊 @BryanDFischer drops his top Texas A&M coaching candidates as the search begins to replace Jimbo Fisher ⤵️
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“The 47-year-old Texas native played at A&M,” Feldman wrote in a story published November 12. “Campbell epitomizes everything we suspect the school would want in a head coach, and if you’ve watched any clips of him in front of his team, you’ll see why. He has jumped into what was an abysmal franchise and has that city thinking there’s finally a Super Bowl in its future.”
Dan Campbell Earns Praise for Lions’ Turnaround
Campbell has led the Lions to a lead in the NFC North and a 7-2 record, putting them on pace to host a playoff game for the first time in nearly three decades. Jared Ramsey of the Detroit Free Press noted that Detroit’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers in a shootout on November 12 showed that the team has what it takes to make a playoff run.
Ramsey shared some praise for the work Campbell has done to build the program from the ground up.
“The energy surrounding the Lions from fans is palpable,” Ramsey wrote. “The back-and-forth win against a playoff team from last year was proof Detroit is built for the biggest moments and ready to return to the postseason.”
Campbell downplayed the offseason predictions the team would win the division, and now is doing the same about the rising Super Bowl chatter.
“We’re no different than anybody else. I mean, ultimately, when you start the season, if you don’t have the end in mind, then what the hell are you doing? So, of course, that’s where you want to get,” Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket. “But I know this, you can’t just say, ‘Well, we’re going to go to the Super Bowl and we’re going to win the Super Bowl.’ There’s steps you got to take to get there.”