According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL NetworkDan Campbell, the current assistant coach of the Saints, will be the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
“Today, you are going to see the next Detroit Lions coach on the Saints team,” Rapoport said Sunday morning. “Dan Campbell, the assistant coach and coach for the New Orleans Saints, is expected to be the next Lions coach – a decision they made later this week.”
Rapoport notes, of course, that this cannot be official until Saints are out of the playoffs. He also expects the team to bring him in for a second interview before finalizing the deal, but says the hiring “is expected to happen”.
Campbell was considered a finalist in the last few days, since Lions hired Brad Holmes as their next general manager on Thursday. There were reports that Detroit may have taken other finalists into consideration, but it was never clear whether there were any competitors really close to Campbell.
This will not be Campbell’s first opportunity as head coach. In 2015, Campbell took over as interim coach for the Dolphins after Miami fired Joe Philbin after a 1-3 start. Campbell, who has been described as a player coach, led Miami to a 5-7 record in the home stretch, including an emotional victory over the Patriots at the end of the season.
Campbell didn’t win the Dolphins’ job in 2016, but he did get a job as assistant chief coach alongside Sean Payton at the New Orleans Saints.
Campbell comes with many accolades, including endorsements from Bill Parcells, Drew Brees and, of course, Sean Payton.
“He is a fantastic leader,” Payton told ESPN in 2018. “Obviously, he played a lot in this league. He’s everything you want. Extremely dedicated, hardworking. He’s just like he was as a player. And I tried to hire him several times and I finally had that opportunity. So, we’re lucky to have you. “