The Detroit Lions have indeed found their new head coach in New Orleans Saints assistant head coach and tight ends coach Dan Campbell. However, the Lions won't be making it official right away after the Saints' 30-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional Round.
Instead, Detroit is willing to wait until Wednesday after Campbell finishes his exit interviews with his Saints players:
Update: While Dan Campbell will be the #Lions coach, it won’t be official until Wednesday because he wants to do exit interviews with his current #Saints players first. Classy move. https://t.co/F0tp1AFPBI
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 18, 2021
The Lions parted ways with head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn midway through the 2020 season. Patricia had been at the helm since 2018 and never had any success, finishing in last place in each of his first two seasons. He didn't get to see the end of his third campaign after garnering a dismal 4-7 record to start this season. Patricia amassed an overall record of 13-29-1 through 43 games as the team's head tactician.
In light of Patricia's exit, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell stepped in to serve as the team's interim head coach. The Lions went 1-4 under Bevell, causing the team to account for a 5-11 overall tally by the end of the regular season.
On the other hand, Campbell has been coaching in the NFL for over a decade already after his playing career. He started out as a coaching intern of the Miami Dolphins in 2010 and then was promoted to tight ends coach in 2011. He briefly served as the Dolphins' interim head coach in the 2015 season, taking over the position vacated by Joe Philbin.
After his stint in South Beach, Campbell packed his bags and went to New Orleans.
Hopefully, Dan Campbell is the missing piece that will help turn around the Lions organization and lead them to greater heights moving forward.
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