The Detroit Lions, led by coach Dan Campbell, have suffered a devastating playoff loss for the second consecutive January.
The Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game twelve months ago after letting a 17-point halftime lead slip. Last weekend, the NFC’s top seed, the Washington Commanders, defeated them in the Divisional Round, ending their postseason run.
Coordinators will be targeted as possible head coaches elsewhere, which is one of the professional dangers of success in the NFL. As the Lions recover, they now have to cope with two significant departures.
Both its offensive and defensive coordinators have left since the loss to the Commanders. Aaron Glenn was announced as the new head coach of the New York Jets on Wednesday, while Ben Johnson has joined NFC North rivals the Chicago Bears as their new head coach.
In order to satisfy concerns that Johnson and Glenn’s departures will negatively impact the squad the following season, Campbell and Lions general manager Brad Holmes will have a busy offseason.
During a press conference at the end of the season, Holmes stated, “We were ready to lose those guys.” “Those coaches are excellent. This year, we were fortunate to have both of them.
However, I have complete faith and trust in Dan to know that we will have the appropriate individuals in those positions, and I know that he has been ready for it. He has had to deal with that previously, but it always worked out because he was dealing with position coaches rather than coordinators.
“We talk about things that won’t change as long as Dan is the head coach and I am here, even if coordinators leave and the plan goes through some changes.”
Holmes also acknowledged that further coaching departures are probably in the cards given the Lions’ success over the last two seasons, which have seen them post a combined 27-7 regular season record.
It’s challenging to hold onto the good ones. You must be ready for [other teams] to try to recruit players from our program.
