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The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches

June 29th, 2022 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL experienced a busy offseason on the coaching front. A whopping 10 teams changed coaches during the 2022 offseason, with the Buccaneers’ late-March switch pushing the number into double digits.

Fourteen of the league’s 32 head coaches were hired in the past two offseasons, illustrating the increased pressure the NFL’s sideline leaders face in today’s game. Two of the coaches replaced this year left on their own. Sean Payton vacated his spot in second on the longest-tenured HCs list by stepping down from his 16-year Saints post in February, while Bruce Arians has repeatedly insisted his Bucs exit was about giving his defensive coordinator a chance with a strong roster and not a Tom Brady post-retirement power play.

While Bill Belichick has been the league’s longest-tenured HC for many years, Payton’s exit moved Mike Tomlin up to No. 2. Mike Zimmer‘s firing after nine seasons moved Frank Reich into the top 10. Reich’s HC opportunity only came about because Josh McDaniels spurned the Colts in 2018, but Indianapolis’ backup plan has led the team to two playoff brackets and has signed an extension. Reich’s seat is hotter in 2022, however, after a January collapse. Linked to numerous HC jobs over the past several offseasons, McDaniels finally took another swing after his Broncos tenure ended quickly.

As 2022’s training camps approach, here are the NFL’s longest-tenured HCs:

Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000
Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007; extended through 2024
John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008; extended through 2025
Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): January 9, 2010; extended through 2025
Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013; extended through 2025
Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017; extended through 2025
Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017; extended through 2023
Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017; extended through 2025
Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans): January 20, 2018; signed extension in February 2022
Frank Reich (Indianapolis Colts): February 11, 2018; extended through 2026
Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2019; extended through 2027
Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019
Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019; extended through 2026
Ron Rivera (Washington Football Team): January 1, 2020
Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers): January 7, 2020
Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys): January 7, 2020
Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020
Robert Saleh (New York Jets): January 15, 2021
Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons): January 15, 2021
Brandon Staley (Los Angeles Chargers): January 17, 2021
Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): January 20, 2021
Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): January 21, 2021
Nathaniel Hackett (Denver Broncos): January 27, 2022
Matt Eberflus (Chicago Bears): January 27, 2022
Brian Daboll (New York Giants): January 28, 2022
Josh McDaniels (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): February 2, 2022
Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars): February 3, 2022
Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins): February 6, 2022
Dennis Allen (New Orleans Saints): February 7, 2022
Lovie Smith (Houston Texans): February 7, 2022
Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): March 30, 2022

Lions Unlikely To Decide On Play-Caller Until Regular Season Nears

June 2nd, 2022 at 7:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Patriots have the runaway lead on offensive staff uncertainty this offseason, the Lions feature some as they go through OTAs.

Detroit moved to a new offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, this year. It remains unknown if he will take over the team’s play-calling. Dan Campbell, who called Lions offensive plays down the stretch last season, said it is unlikely he will determine the team’s play-caller until the regular season nears, per the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers.

In his first months as the Lions’ full-time OC, Johnson has been calling plays during OTAs. That distinction obviously means considerably less than calling them during training camp or in the preseason. But that is how the Lions are proceeding as of early June. It is not a lock that is the direction they will go come September.

“Look, I’m really not even worried about it right now,” Campbell said, via Rogers. “I just want to take it as it comes and see how [Johnson] goes with it and see how he handles running the offense, doing what I need to have done on my end and kind of my viewpoint and see how the quarterbacks are and just everything, and then go from there.

“I’m a gut guy, so I’m going to trust my gut to make that decision when the time’s right.”

Campbell relieved 2021 OC Anthony Lynn of play-calling duties midway through last season, taking on that responsibility himself for the final nine games. That was a noticeable undertaking for the first-year Lions coach, who had not been a coordinator in between his time as Dolphins interim HC (2015) and his Lions hire. During Campbell’s play-calling stint, the Lions scored at least 29 points four times; they did so only once in the eight games prior.

Johnson, 35, is a first-time coordinator who has never called plays at any level. A Matt Patricia-era holdover who began last season as Detroit’s tight ends coach, Johnson worked as the team’s passing-game coordinator to close last season.

More will be expected of the Lions’ offense this season. The team added D.J. Chark in free agency and traded up 20 spots for Jameson Williams, who should be ready to return from ACL surgery at some point during his rookie season. Those two will join emerging playmakers D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St. Brown in what will be Jared Goff‘s second go-round leading the offense. After Sean McVay worked as Goff’s play-caller throughout their four-year run together, the seventh-year quarterback could have three play-callers in two years to start his Lions tenure.

Latest On Jets’ Decision At No. 4 Overall

April 19th, 2022 at 5:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Possessing an opportunity to nab two instant starters in this draft, the Jets might not be in lockstep with their two top-10 picks. While the team’s wide receiver pursuit continues to be connected to the No. 10 choice, its No. 4 pick supplies more intrigue.

GM Joe Douglas “loves” North Carolina State tackle Ikem Ekwonu, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. Although Douglas could supersede any other staffer’s preference, Vacchiano’s mock draft features Robert Saleh winning a power struggle that concludes with defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux on his way to the Big Apple.

The Jets’ Thibodeaux visit last week involved a grilling on the motivation and personality issues that have affected the Oregon product’s draft stock, Vacchiano adds, noting that the Jets were impressed with the polarizing pass rusher. The Lions have also been connected to Thibodeaux, but the issues that have dinged his stock may be too much for Dan Campbell. The second-year Lions coach is not believed to be high on Thibodeaux, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Gang Green would then be in position, should the Texans pass at No. 3, to stop a potential Thibodeaux freefall.

George Fant‘s emergence lessens the Jets’ O-line need, but Mekhi Becton‘s reliability nosedive has the 2020 first-round pick on unstable ground. The Jets are prepared to try Becton on the right side, and Vacchiano adds Ekwonu may not be a Day 1 starter if selected by the Jets. That would be unusual for a top-five pick and would depend on Becton’s readiness, but this overlap — despite the Jets’ interest in adding an impact tackle — could push the team to spend its top pick on another position.

This could certainly go the other way as well, which would have the Jets using three first-round picks on O-linemen in three years. Hearing Ekwonu connected to the Jets more than anyone else, Breer mocks the tackle to New York. Ekwonu played both tackle and guard with the Wolfpack; this could solve the positional overlap with Becton. Some teams view guard as Ekwonu’s best position, Breer adds.

Carl Lawson‘s ACL tear wounded the Jets’ pass rush before last season started, and Saleh’s first Jets defense ranked last. Although Lawson is set to return, the Jets still have a need on the edge. The team has famously struggled to address its edge position since 2006’s John Abraham trade. No Jet edge defender registered more than two sacks last season.

Kayvon Thibodeaux Still In The Mix For Lions’ No. 2 Pick

April 10th, 2022 at 10:00am CST by Rory Parks

Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, once considered a surefire top-5 pick in this month’s draft, is reportedly in danger of falling out of the top-10. That is largely due to concerns not about his physical abilities, but about his effort and coachability. As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News writes, Thibodeaux said at this year’s scouting combine, “I tell a coach that there’s nothing he can tell me that I don’t already know, right? It’s because I’m honest with myself and I watch the tape. So if you’re a student of the game you know what you can get better at.”

However, the Lions could save Thibodeaux from his rumored tumble down draft boards. According to Rogers, Thibodeaux is still “very much in the conversation” for Detroit’s No. 2 overall pick.

The Lions have a clear need for a pass rusher, which is why they have been connected to Thibodeaux and Michigan edge defender Aidan Hutchinson throughout the predraft process. Thibodeaux’s collegiate production — which includes three sacks in seven games in 2020 and seven sacks in 10 games in 2021 — has not been enough to offset the questions about his intangibles, but it should be noted that, last season, he posted those seven sacks and 12 total tackles for loss while playing through an ankle injury.

His size (6-5, 250), and impressive combine performance are further evidence of his high ceiling, and the Lions have thoroughly evaluated him. The club met with him at the combine, had GM Brad Holmes and others in attendance at his pro day, and will bring him in for a top-30 visit this week. Head coach Dan Campbell said of Thibodeaux, “[h]ey, listen, he’s an explosive athlete. He’s a playmaker. He’s got a good, quick first step. I mean, he’s something else. He’s pretty special on tape.”

The Lions are willing to trade down from the No. 2 pick, but if they keep it, Campbell is looking for a player who can contribute from Day 1 (in other words, probably not a QB prospect from a 2022 class whose shortcomings have been one of this year’s most-discussed draft topics). “That’s really what you’re trying to acquire, a guy that you can feel like can come in and he’s going to be able to have solid production for you,” Campbell recently said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “I mean, that’s kind of the idea. We need to feel like, all right, this guy comes in, it may take just a little bit, but you’d like to believe by the time you hit your first game that this player’s starting for you and is going to be able to produce.”

Though Campbell did not rule out the possibility of selecting a quarterback with the No. 2 pick if the team falls in love with a passer, he also suggested that having an elite QB is not necessarily a prerequisite for long-term success. When combined with his desire to nab an immediate contributor with his top draft choice, Campbell’s sentiments leave the door open for a Thibodeaux selection, though there are plenty of other non-quarterback prospects who figure to make an impact right away.

Coaching Notes: Broncos, Fangio, Jags, Lions

January 12th, 2022 at 7:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ten candidates have emerged in the Broncos‘ coaching search. Despite the team going back-to-back with defensive coaches, Dan Quinn is believed to be one of the early frontrunners, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler (ESPN+ link). Despite being fired early in the 2020 season, the ex-Falcons HC has become a hot name in the 2022 interview cycle. The interest in Quinn puts him in position to be picky, as the current Cowboys DC has raised his stock after turning around the NFC East champions’ defense this season. He has yet to interview for the Broncos job yet. Quinn and Denver GM George Paton worked together in Miami under Nick Saban from 2005-06. Quinn, 51, was the Dolphins’ defensive line coach in those seasons. The Broncos have also done extensive work on Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett, Fowler adds. Both Hackett and Green Bay QBs coach Luke Getsy are on Denver’s HC interview list.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

Bill O’Brien interestingly finds himself in the mix for NFL jobs on two tiers, with the Panthers eyeing him as an offensive coordinator and the Jaguars are set to interview him for their head coach job. O’Brien’s ignominious Texans exit notwithstanding, he has become a candidate to watch for the Jacksonville job, Fowler notes. O’Brien just finished his first season as Alabama’s OC.
Should O’Brien land the Jags gig, Vic Fangio will be a DC target, per Fowler. Given Fangio’s history of DC success, and the Broncos sporting an above-average unit during his tenure despite major injuries to Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, the recently fired coach will likely have a few options. The Jags are prepared to be patient this time around, with Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson noting this process could last for an additional two weeks (Twitter link). Second interviews are expected here. The Jaguars being thorough should not surprise, given their rash decision to hire Urban Meyer last January.
The Lions are considering hiring their next OC from within. After parting ways with one-and-done Anthony Lynn, Detroit is examining tight ends coach Ben Johnson for that role, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes. Dan Campbell took over play-calling duties from Lynn midseason, but Johnson’s responsibilities expanded as well. Johnson joined the Lions as a quality control coach in 2019. GM Brad Holmes is also leaving the door open to Campbell remaining the team’s play-caller.
Seahawks assistant head coach Clint Hurtt is on the University of Miami’s radar, with Fowler tweeting the Hurricanes are eyeing him for their defensive coordinator job. A Miami alum, Hurtt has spent the past five years as Pete Carroll’s defensive line coach.
Joe Judge‘s Giants staff will likely splinter soon. One of Big Blue’s position coaches, D-line coach Sean Spencer, will land on his feet. Duke is hiring Spencer to be a co-defensive coordinator, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets. Spencer was set to leave regardless of Judge’s status. Spencer’s pre-Giants coaching resume unfolded entirely at the college level. The 51-year-old assistant spent six years at Penn State prior to his short Giants stay under Judge.
Second-year Browns assistant Jeremy Garrett is expected to leave Cleveland and become the Liberty D-line coach, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman tweets.

Detroit, OC Lynn Part Ways

January 10th, 2022 at 1:32pm CST by Ely Allen

In one of the less surprising moves of “Black Monday,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed in his Monday morning press conference that offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn will not remain a part of the coaching staff in Detroit.

Coming off being fired by the Chargers last season, Lynn took the role of play caller under first-year head coach Dan Campbell. After starting the season with eight straight losses, Campbell relieved Lynn of his play calling duties. The Lions proceeded to finish 3-3 over their last six games and it became apparent that Lynn was a lame duck in his position.

Lynn’s resume isn’t terrible as he left Los Angeles boasting a winning record as a head coach. In his first two seasons leading the Chargers, they finished 2nd in the division and even nabbed a Wild Card spot in his second year, winning a playoff game before getting beat in the Divisional Round. Lynn has had success in the league as a running backs coach and has strong leadership qualities that his players respect. He should find a job in the NFL again, before long.

As for the Lions open offensive coordinator position, Campbell will need to decided whether he would like to continue calling plays himself or if he wants to hire an offensive coordinator who can run the show. We’ll see that search play out as “Black Monday” continues to create new candidates for open jobs.

Lions’ Goff Doubtful For Game Against Seahawks

January 1st, 2022 at 5:43pm CST by Ely Allen

Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell told reporters yesterday that quarterback Jared Goff is doubtful to play this Sunday in Seattle. A lingering knee injury is looking more and more likely to hold Goff out of his second straight game.

It looks like Campbell is going to be cautious in handling Goff’s return to avoid further harm to the quarterback. With the end of the season approaching, and the Lions long disqualified from postseason contention, we may have already seen Goff’s season finale in Detroit’s Week 15 upset of the Cardinals.

In his first season with the Lions, Goff was able to reproduce much of the statistical output from his lesser years in LA, but without the team success. Goff has averaged 231.3 passing yards per game, slightly under his 2017 season average of 253.6 yards per game. He threw 17 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, displaying the same discipline and accuracy he showed as a Ram. It seems the drastic drop of talent around him made for a difficult transition for the sixth-year veteran in terms of winning football games.

In his absence, Tim Boyle is expected to make his second-straight start and his third start of the 2021 NFL season. In his previous two starts, Boyle was able to keep the Lions largely competitive in a three-point loss to the Browns and a four-point loss to the Falcons. Boyle has relied on short and easy completions to move the offense. He’s completed an impressive 39 of 57 pass attempts (68%), but has only totaled 264 passing yards in two games. He’s also struggled to keep possession, throwing 3 picks to only 1 touchdown.

Boyle is expected to face off against a Seahawks’ defense that ranks last in the NFC in passing yards allowed, so it appears something has to bend. Either Seattle will provide a stout passing defensive performance uncharacteristic of this year or Boyle will have a career day for his statistical production.

Anthony Lynn Originally Planned To Sit Out 2021

July 6th, 2021 at 3:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Often times when NFL head coaches get fired, they sit out the following season to regroup and plot their next move. Not Anthony Lynn.

Lynn moved quickly after he was let go by the Chargers, accepting a role on Dan Campbell’s inaugural Lions staff as his offensive coordinator. But apparently Lynn’s original plan was in fact to sit out the 2021 season, he revealed on a recent episode of ‘Compas on the Beat’ podcast, via Fernando Ramirez of SI.com. “I was actually going to sit this year out, but when they called, I had to go because I wanted to be a part of that. I knew it’s going to be something special,” he said.

“I’ve been on the sideline since I was six years old. I have not had a break since I was six years old, literally, every single fall,” Lynn explained. “I really had my mind made up that I was going to take a gap year travel a little bit, go see some other teams, visit some of the coaches that I know, and see how they’re doing things. I had made my mind up to sit out this year, but then when Dan called, you know, that changed everything.”

Not to question Lynn’s sincereness, but he did also talk to the Seahawks about their OC opening, so it appears Campbell might not have been the only coach he was willing to work for. Either way, his fondness for Campbell seems very real. Lynn was the running backs coach of the 2005 Cowboys team that Campbell played on, so there was already a connection here.

Lynn has never been a full-time OC in the league, and wasn’t the primary play-caller during his time as Chargers head coach, so it’ll be very interesting to see how things work out in Detroit. He’s got Jared Goff at his disposal for his first season.

Lions Never Offered HC Job To Matt Campbell?

May 21st, 2021 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

This week, it was rumored that the Lions offered an eight-year, $68.5MM deal to Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. But, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions never put an offer on the table.

Furthermore, Birkett hears that the Cyclones coach only spoke to the Lions once during the process. And, while other notable names were tied to the job, new HC Dan Campbell was the only candidate to ever receive an offer to be the Lions’ head coach.

It’s possible that something got lost in the game of telephone. Or, perhaps Matt Campbell’s camp is looking to increase the coach’s buzz. For what it’s worth, Dan said he sensed that the Lions were extremely bullish on Matt.

“Just in regards to the head coach search, how I ended up here, one of things would be that I told my agent, Rick Smith, I said make sure that they think I’m Matt Campbell, so I think that’s how this has really worked out great for me,” the Lions head coach said (via Birkett). “So now that I’m in the seat, I am Dan Campbell. But I do know this, you can’t go wrong with a Campbell.”

In addition to the Campbells, the Lions were also connected to Darrell Bevell, Eric Bieniemy, Todd Bowles, Marvin Lewis, Urban Meyer, Robert Saleh, and Arthur Smith.

Lions To Add John Dorsey To Front Office

January 24th, 2021 at 12:41pm CST by Rory Parks

The Lions have a brand new power structure, having recently hired Brad Holmes as general manager and Dan Campbell as head coach. Now, Detroit is adding a more experienced voice to the mix, with Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reporting that the team is expected to hire John Dorsey as a senior personnel executive (Twitter link). Dorsey, 60, had been working as a consultant for the Eagles.

Dorsey, who drew interest from the Texans for their GM post before Houston elected to hire Nick Caserio, has served as general manager for both the Chiefs and Browns. Neither of those tenures ended on a particularly positive note, but that wasn’t due to Dorsey’s abilities as a talent evaluator. His reputation in that area is sterling, and he is largely responsible for the construction of the current iteration of the Browns — who nearly advanced to the AFC Championship Game this year — and for Kansas City’s starry corps of Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce.

In addition to his drafting of Mahomes and Cleveland QB Baker Mayfield while serving as a general manager, Dorsey was the Packers’ director of college scouting when Green Bay drafted Aaron Rodgers in 2005. And as a young scout in 1994, he recommended that the Packers sign Kurt Warner as a UDFA.

His eye for quarterback talent is especially important this year, as the Lions are preparing to trade Matthew Stafford and may well turn to the draft for his replacement. Plus, Dorsey’s experience should be an asset to Holmes, who is getting his first shot as a GM after working as the Rams’ director of college scouting for the past eight seasons.

Campbell will also have a major role in personnel decisions, as Justin Rogers of the Detroit News writes. Rather than a traditional HC-GM-owner structure, Holmes, Campbell, and vice president of football operations Mike Disner will report directly to president Rod Wood and owner Sheila Ford Hamp.