Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions officially ended their season on Sunday, January 4, with a win over the Chicago Bears in the Windy City with a 19-16 final score. Now, Campbell and company are shaking up their roster of staffers and players, and unfortunately, one of their key members is leaving.
“I believe that things happen for a reason, right wrong or indifferent,” Campbell told reporters following the team’s win over the Chicago Bears, when asked about the team’s 2025-26 season.
It wasn’t a great season, and the Detroit Lions ended the run with a 9-8 record, according to ESPN research, and no appearance in the playoffs. But, Campbell sounds optimistic about the future.
“Just when something like this happens, I believe it’s going to be for the best. It’s up to Brad (Holmes) and I to make it for the best and the guys that we know we’re going to count on on this team,” Campbell told reporters. “So that’s how I view it. Because as good as it felt to get that and it’s the last one, it’s — I mean, let’s call it what it is.”
Detroit Lions Lose a Staffer, and Dan Campbell Has a Role to Fill
On Saturday, February 7, news broke that New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn, who served as the Lions’ defensive coordinator until 2025, is filling a vacancy with a Detroit Lions staffer.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Jets are officially hiring Lions assistant tight ends coach Seth Ryan as their new passing game coordinator. It’s a neat moment for Ryan, because his father, Rex, and his grandfather, Buddy, both coached for the Jets.
“A new generation of Ryans in New York: the Jets are hiring the Lions assistant tight ends coach Seth Ryan as their passing game coordinator, per sources,” Schefter said. “Seth Ryan follows his father Rex, who followed his father Buddy as the third generation of Ryans to coach for the Jets.”
“That’s a cool family legacy—three generations of Ryans coaching the Jets,” one follower stated. “What do you think Seth Ryan will bring to the passing game that the Jets need right now?”
But, that leaves Campbell with another role to fill. Campbell, of course, already made a significant hire in new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, so this is the latest in his round of to-dos.
Dan Campbell is at one of those crossroads. The Lions aren’t rebuilding anymore. They’re expected to win, and that changes everything. Every decision now carries weight, from how aggressive to stay to who still fits the culture that he built.
Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions’ Strength
Campbell’s strength has always been trust and emotion, but the next step requires precision, too. Detroit is close, painfully close, and that’s the hardest place to be. One or two right calls can turn belief into banners. One or two wrong ones can stall, or stop, the whole thing.
In other news, on Friday, January 30, the Michigan State Spartans hosted the Michigan Wolverines for a basketball game at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Campbell and his wife, Holly, showed up at the game and got a massive round of applause when they entered the arena.
What’s interesting is that Campbell and his wife picked a side, too. They were both wearing Spartan gear, since their daughter attends MSU. Campbell also was seen shaking hands with new MSU football coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Dan Campbell Gets More Bad News as Lions’ Offseason Continues
