Detroit Lions Fire Coach In Shocking Move
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has decided to shake up his coaching staff after a tremendously disappointing season in Motor City.
On Tuesday, the Lions announced that they have parted ways with John Morton after just one season as the club’s offensive coordinator. The 56-year-old spent the previous two years as the Denver Broncos’ pass game coordinator.
The Lions announced today that they have parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton.
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 6, 2026
Detroit’s decision to fire Morton came minutes before the Baltimore Ravens fired legendary head coach John Harbaugh in a stunning move. Earlier in the day, the Washington Commanders also parted ways with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt.
Dan Campbell hired John Morton as a senior offensive assistant in 2022. The latter spent the next two years in Denver before returning to the Lions, whose OC position opened up when the Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson.
Per ESPN, the Lions finished fifth in yards for (373.2 per game) and tied for fourth in scoring offense (28.3). Morton certainly wasn’t the issue in Detroit, so Dan Campbell’s decision to fire him is a bit surprising.
Dan Campbell Still Has Plenty To Sort Through After Disappointing 2025 Season
The 2025 Lions will go down as one of the most disappointing teams in NFL history. Two years ago, they played in the NFC Championship Game. Last year, they finished with a franchise-record 15 regular-season wins.
Like 2024, this season was supposed to be the Lions’ year. But, they finished a disappointing 9-8, having lost four of their final six games. A 2-4 record within the division (they swept the Chicago Bears), proved to be the difference.
Campbell has already decided to shake up his coaching staff. He also must figure out how to fix the interior offensive line and a lousy defense that lives and dies by the performance of Aidan Hutchinson.
