DETROIT — A day after a stunning Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings dropped his Detroit Lions to 5-3 on the season, Dan Campbell held a private meeting with first-year offensive coordinator John Morton.
Before the season, Morton was given the tall task of following previous coordinator Ben Johnson in the role. Johnson, who took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears in the offseason, had helped turn the Lions into one of the NFL’s top offenses over his three years in charge — helping the unit top the league in points (30.15 per game), offensive efficiency and first downs the past two seasons.
But the offense struggled to reach the same heights in the first eight games under Morton. In the 27-24 home loss to the Vikings, the Lions, who had averaged 402.2 yards from 2023-2024, managed just 305. The game also marked the third straight contest in which Detroit had failed to score 30 points.
Campbell knew it was time for a change.
When he met with Morton on Nov. 3, Campbell had an honest conversation with his first-year OC about the changes that needed to be made as the Lions continued their playoff push, informing Morton that he would be taking over playcalling duties for the foreseeable future. Afterward, he approached Lions quarterback Jared Goff about the change to spark the unit.
“As soon as he said it, I’m like, ‘All right. Let’s go. What do we gotta do?’ That’s the way I’ve always been in this business. I’ve been cut six times, I’ve been fired. Man, you just march on because it’s always about the team,” Morton said. “It always is. It ain’t about me, goals and this and that.
“The ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl, so I didn’t even blink twice because I know my role here and the only thing that’s changed is that he’s calling on game day. Everything else is still the same.”
Six days later, Campbell was on the sidelines — reading glasses and a play sheet in front of his face — guiding Detroit to a season-high 226 rushing yards and 546 total yards in a dominant 44-22 victory over the Washington Commanders.
“So, look, I just feel like it’s the right thing to do right now and I’m going to do it,” Campbell said Monday of the decision to call plays. “Am I perfect? No, I’m not perfect.
“Players are going to have to bail me out. They bailed me out yesterday on a couple of things. Jared Goff bailed me out. The staff bailed me out. But that’s what teamwork’s about.”
How Campbell managed this week’s changing of the guard on offense is the latest example of the kind of coach those who have worked for and under him say he is. He is competitive and brutally honest, unafraid to have tough necessary conversations, show vulnerability and support his players and coaches with unwavering faith. He listens to the needs of his team, and, of course, he is someone who brings energy and enthusiasm wherever he goes. These traits have helped him become one of the NFL’s top coaches and gain the confidence of a team with its eyes set on the franchise’s first Super Bowl — a journey that continues with a road matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).
“He believes in us. We believe in him. He looks really big and strong, so like if he’s making decisions, it’s probably right,” Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow said. “But all jokes aside, I think that he’s a football guy and I feel like he has a good finger on the pulse for what we need to do. He’s a great coach.”
Here are five stories of what it’s like to coach with — and be coached by — Campbell.
CAMPBELL RECEIVED A 4 a.m. text message from Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the wake of Detroit’s NFC divisional round loss to Washington on Jan. 19.
“I love you, man. I know this sucks,” St. Brown wrote. “But I wouldn’t want to be playing for any other head coach.”
“I love you, man,” Campbell responded, in addition to sharing encouragement.
After earning the No. 1 seed for the first time in team history, the 45-31 upset playoff loss to the Commanders, especially at home, didn’t sit well for either coach or player as they couldn’t sleep.
Detroit’s magical regular-season run of 15 wins — a franchise record — had abruptly ended in their playoff opener.
“I know the guys it eats away at, and they’re the right guys, they’re our guys for a reason,” Campbell told reporters on Jan. 20. “And that’s what will always give me hope and let me know we’re only going to be better, we’re going to come back stronger, we’re going to learn from this, and it’s just more fuel on the fire is what it is.”
Although St. Brown was disappointed, he was confident Detroit would be back as Super Bowl contenders in 2025, as long as Campbell was leading the charge.
The Lions selected St. Brown out of USC with the No. 112 pick in the 2021 draft and he has blossomed under Campbell as a two-time first-team All-Pro selection.
“I feel like I can text him. I feel like I have that relationship with him,” St. Brown told ESPN. “I have the respect and I think he has the respect for me. I feel like when times are good or bad, I can reach out to him or he can reach out to me, vice versa and then we go from there.”
Although St. Brown and Campbell don’t text daily, when they do communicate privately, it’s always pertaining to something meaningful. And due to their history, the conversation didn’t feel forced, but more natural to St. Brown, as they’ve shared the common goal of winning since they both arrived in Detroit.
“I feel like I was always bought in when I first got here,” St. Brown said. “I just think how competitive he is and how much he hates losing, I just feel like I resonate with him.
“Like, the accountability that he has, the mindset of when he feels like a lot of the games that we lose, he feels like it’s on him. I feel the same way. I feel like it’s on me, so we have similar ways in the way we think about football and winning and losing.”
IN JANUARY 2021, Lions left tackle Taylor Decker was out to dinner with his wife, Kyndra, when he received an unexpected call. It was Campbell, his new head coach, a day after being hired in Detroit.
In that first phone call, Campbell made a point to connect with the veteran offensive lineman on a personal level. During their conversation, Decker eventually lobbied for Campbell, who was putting his coaching staff in place, to keep Hank Fraley as the offensive line coach.
“I remember when [former Lions head coach Matt] Patricia was fired and they went through the hiring process in the offseason and I know Chris Spielman [special assistant to the CEO/president] was helping with that search and I talked to him at the end of the year,” Decker told ESPN on Nov. 6. “And I said, ‘Whoever you hire, if there’s any chance where I could talk to him to lobby for Hank, I’d really appreciate that. They might not want to talk to me, but if they’re open to it, I would love to.'”
Hence the call from Campbell.
Their private conversation lasted 45 minutes, with Campbell embracing the player’s input to create an open-door policy early in his head coaching tenure.
Campbell’s curiosity to know what was on his player’s mind was not fake.
“He was genuinely asking me like what about Hank did I like and what I think he did well,” Decker said. “And I’m not saying that’s what made him stay here because Hank’s coaching prowess precedes what I say — he gets the job because he deserves it — but it was just him hearing me out.”
Campbell retained Fraley, who is now in his eighth season with the organization. Fraley’s role in 2025 now includes run game coordinator and offensive line coach after his unit contributed to a Lions offense that has led the NFL in points per game (29.0) over the past three seasons — including a league-high 33.2 points in 2024.
Three years later, that same open-door policy and willingness to listen proved beneficial for Decker, who approached Campbell for a one-on-one about his contract situation.
Decker, the longest-tenured Lions player, was entering the final year of his deal and came up to Campbell in the spring to speak about wanting to remain in Detroit, while seeking an honest update on the process.
“In OTAs, I actually went up and I had a conversation with Dan and I’m like, ‘Where are we at?'” Decker said. “I’m hearing things from my agent and from our salary cap people and they’re talking and I’m getting secondhand information, and I want to hear it. Tell me where we’re at, just so I’ll know. I just want the information just so it’s communicated well.
“And pretty much what he told me was to a tee what happened. And I just basically had to stay patient.”
By Day 6 of training camp that July, the veteran left tackle reached an agreement on a three-year, $60 million extension that included $31.83 million guaranteed, that would keep him in Detroit through 2027.
Throughout the process, Campbell was honest in his delivery, telling Decker they also wanted to see how he would come back from an offseason surgery to correct foot and ankle issues before reaching the new deal.
“That was on his mind and so I told him, ‘Listen, Brad and I — listen you’re next. This’ll come. Just let’s give it a minute.’ He was coming off a surgery. ‘Let’s just make sure you’re good, we’ll get you out there moving around in July, and all is good, and we’ll go,'” Campbell said. “And that’s what happened. So, I appreciate him trusting us, but all our guys know that, man. You got something on your mind? Come up and talk.
“We can talk one-on-one, and I’ll give you the straight-up. Man, I remember what it was like as a player, and I was lied to at one point, and I will never do that to a player. So even if it’s going to hurt a little bit, I want him to know the truth.”
IT WAS A rough couple of weeks in November 2024 for wide receiver Jameson Williams. His days were limited to workouts, weightlifting and catching passes on the JUGS machine while he served a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
Williams couldn’t participate in on-field activities or travel with the team, but he watched both games with his younger brother Jaden “Slim” Williams as the Lions beat the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers.
“What have I learned? Just to be smarter, I guess. Move smarter,” Williams said upon his return from the ban. “Be a bigger person in certain situations and things like that.”
Williams’ NFL career in Detroit had gotten off to a rocky start. An ACL injury forced him to miss the first 11 games of his rookie year. The following April, Williams was suspended for the first six games (later reduced to four) of the 2023 season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. Then, during a traffic stop on Oct. 8, 2024, police discovered an unlicensed gun in Williams’ car (he later avoided criminal charges and discipline from the NFL).
The PED suspension last fall could have been the last straw for the former No. 12 pick. Instead, Campbell publicly maintained faith in his young star.
“I trust this kid. I trust him. And unfortunately, you’ve got to pay for your sins,” Campbell told reporters on Oct. 23, 2024. “If something happens and this comes down, so be it. But I know this, we dangled the rope down on the way up. We can’t wait for anybody.
“And over a year ago, he started climbing his way up and he got to us. And maybe he lost his grip, but he’ll climb back up again. That rope’s still there. It’s tied to us, and he’ll be just fine, but he’s part of this team and I trust him.”
That backing went a long way with the then 23-year-old.
“It’s been something every year. My rookie year, he helped me get prepared to get in the game. My sophomore year, he helped me get more prepared. Last year, he stuck by me through the suspension, just like the second year, he encouraged me,” Williams told ESPN on Nov. 6. “He never gave up on me, and this year he just had ultimate faith in me to stick by me and keep me here for extra years. I feel like it’s just the connection we have. I can’t really explain it for real. That’s my guy. I’ll go to war for Dan.”
Williams returned to log the first 1,000-yard receiving season of his career in 2024. And less than 24 hours ahead of the Lions’ 2025 season opener at Green Bay, he inked a three-year extension worth up to $83 million, which secures him through the 2029 season.
With six receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown versus Washington in Week 10, Williams has five 100-yard receiving games in his career as Campell continues to believe in him on the field, but more importantly in his character despite Williams’ growing pains.
“It’s just him having faith in me through all the situations that I’ve been through. All the ups and downs that I’ve been through,” Williams said. “It’s not easy to stick with people who have ups and downs, but I respect him for sticking with me and sticking by my side. He knows what type of person I am outside of football, and I just love him for having faith in me always.”
LINEBACKER KELVIN SHEPPARD and most of his Miami Dolphins teammates had already mentally checked out of the 2015 season.
The Dolphins had started the season 1-3 and vibes were low. To give the team a jolt, the organization fired then-head coach Joe Philbin and elevated Campbell to take his place through the end of the season.
Immediately, Sheppard said, everything changed.
“Listen, I love Joe Philbin. But in the Miami Dolphins facility, all the lights were off. We didn’t pay the electric bill all year,” Sheppard said. “And then when Dan took over, he paid the whole six months that were unpaid. Because guys had a fire. You went to practice with a purpose.
“I’ll say it, I was one of those guys — shame on us as players to let the environment or the situation dictate how we put forth to our profession — but it just shows you the quality of a head coach.”
Campbell started his head coaching career by running more aggressive practices. He sent an early message to the group by matching Sheppard against Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey in an Oklahoma drill — the two Alphas going head-to-head as a running back attempted to get past the defender.
“The first day he took over in 2015, he told me and Mike Pouncey, ‘Go line up.’ He put a circle around us. That’s illegal to do now I guess in the league, but [he said], ‘Go.’ I’m like, ‘What do you mean go?’ And it was mano y mano,” said Sheppard, who is now Detroit’s defensive coordinator. “And it set the standard for how we played the rest of the year, and it’s just carried over here to him getting the ultimate chance at it. And you see kind of the fruits of the labor of Dan Campbell.”
With Campbell at the helm, the Dolphins went 5-7, finishing the season with a 6-10 record which included a 20-10 win against the New England Patriots in the finale. Although Campbell didn’t secure the head coaching role, Sheppard said he changed the culture with his aggressive style, which would later impact the Lions organization in a similar manner.
“It’s no different than here. When St. Brown and [Lions tackle] Penei [Sewell], when Hutch [Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson] is out there every day, no days off. ‘Well why are you taking a day off? Because you don’t play more than them, you don’t contribute more than them,'” Sheppard said. “So, it’s just Dan’s ability to understand who within a coaching staff, who within a locker room, to make sure he has reach on, and to extend that leadership role within them and let them go carry the torch for him is something I’ve definitely learned from him.”
HALLOWEEN 2025 WAS a memorable one for Campbell and the Lions.
As the Lions prepped for a Nov. 2 home game against the Vikings, the players held their annual team party. Several costumes went viral across social media, including Goff as the chef from the movie “Ratatouille” and running back Jahmyr Gibbs as WWE legend Jeff Hardy. But Campbell wasn’t afraid to take a trip down memory lane.
During his Oct. 31 news conference, Campbell was asked if he and his wife, Holly, dressed up for team Halloween parties while he was a player, and if they had a favorite costume.
Campbell didn’t shy away from the question.
“I was Marilyn Monroe one year, all right,” Campbell said. “That was a long time ago, and that wasn’t here. I’m sure you could find some old stuff. But anyway, we paired up pretty good, let’s just put it that way. So, Holly’s the creative one. She always had pretty good ideas for stuff.”
In the early 2000s, Campbell showed up in a curly golden wig with a white dress. Holly sported an angel costume.
“Well actually that one, her sister came in. So, it was really more her and her sister than it was we were paired up. So, I was kind of [the] odd one out,” Campbell said. “But I was Marilyn Monroe. She bought me the freaking dress, had the wig. So, and I actually had broken an ankle, so I was on crutches too. So that was great.”
Holly would leak the vintage photos across her Instagram account after his news conference.
“By popular demand and it’s Dan’s fault this time,” Holly Campbell wrote on Instagram, while sharing the pictures with crying laughing emojis. “Happy Halloween!!!!”
Whether it’s coaching, dealing with the media or managing uncomfortable conversations, such as the midseason playcalling changes with Morton, Campbell isn’t afraid to display his true feelings, which resonates with players.
“Dan is just good at being vulnerable. I think we’re living in a society and a time where it’s hard for people to be vulnerable,” former Lions fullback Jason Cabinda said. “He shows his vulnerable self each and every day and that’s why guys buy in. Everybody can relate to that.
“Everybody can gravitate towards that level of vulnerability that Dan displays. I think it’s awesome. I think he’s a great person. I think some people get to see it. Some people follow his wife on Instagram, and they get to see those other parts of Dan, but that’s who he is. He loves his players. He loves his guys. He fights for all of us. Dan will always be in my corner.”