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Eric WoodyardESPN
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — After one season, Anthony Lynn is out as the offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions, coach Dan Campbell confirmed on Monday.
NFL Network reported ahead of Detroit’s regular-season finale victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday that Lynn was expected to be let go, but after the game, Campbell wouldn’t go into details until he spoke with Lynn the next day.
“I felt like this is just best for both of us,” Campbell said on Monday of Lynn. “Look, he came here, took a leap of faith with us, under the impression that he would be calling the plays and so, it was not gonna go that direction again. That’s not fair to him, either. So, I wish him the best. He’s been a true pro. He works his tail off and he gave us everything he had, so I appreciate him for that. He’s a pro.”
Lynn joined the Lions in 2021 after serving as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers for four seasons. However, Campbell said that Lynn’s role on the Detroit staff “just wasn’t a fit” and that the Lions never found their groove or rhythm with him in that position.
“It’s hard to really, truly pinpoint,” Campbell said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way you want, and that’s really the best answer I can give you.”
Campbell took over playcalling from Lynn coming off the bye during Week 10 at Pittsburgh to have direct communication with quarterback Jared Goff. Lynn never regained those responsibilities, which at the time he said he understood.
“I’ve been in Dan’s shoes, and if I was 0-8 and I need to spark my team, then as an offensive guy, I probably would’ve done the same thing to be honest with you, and I have,” Lynn said Nov. 18. “I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t agree with what he did.”
The Lions are in no rush to fill Lynn’s position as Campbell decides whether he wants to continue to call plays moving forward. Tight ends coach Ben Johnson could be a top candidate to replace Lynn, especially after taking on a bigger role during the playcalling switch, and he has earned Campbell’s respect with his creativity.
Even with the move, Goff thanked Lynn for everything throughout the course of his first season in Detroit during his exit interview.
“We really do appreciate it because he could, if he wanted to, have a bad attitude, and he didn’t, and it was really cool to see from him,” Goff said of Lynn. “But in the future, a lot of what we did toward the end of the year was something that we’d like to see. Hopefully the pass game continues to improve and hopefully I can be a part of that and hopefully the run game can stay on track and do its thing, but hopefully a lot of what we’ve done in the last couple games.”