Odds of Dan Campbell Landing Lions Head Coaching Job
New Orleans Saints' Dan Campbell has become a hot name for the Lions' head coaching vacancy.
He formally interviewed for the job for the first time on Monday.
If he doesn't land an opening during this hiring cycle, it seems like the 44-year-old's still got a solid shot of grabbing a head coaching gig within the next offseason or two.
Let's take a look now at the odds of him being hired to replace Matt Patricia as Detroit head man.
Campbell has three big things going for him when it comes to his chances of being named the successor to Patricia: he played for the Lions from 2006-08, he has head coaching experience (he served as the Miami Dolphins' interim head man in 2015) and he's currently the right-hand man to New Orleans Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton.
The former tight end's best season as a pro came in '06 when he caught 21 balls for a career-high 308 yards and four scores.
That experience with the organization -- specifically with the Ford family -- could prove to be valuable for his candidacy.
He's also believed to hold a high degree of relatability to his players, due to the 10 seasons he spent himself as a player in the league -- much like the Tennessee Titans' Mike Vrabel, who spent 14 years as a pro.
It's another attribute that could prove to be attractive to Detroit principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp, team president Rod Wood and special assistant Chris Spielman during the team's search for its next head coach.
© Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
The trio has also made experience a priority in its coaching/GM search -- something that Campbell possesses, although it was on an interim basis (as mentioned above).
He coached just 12 games (went 5-7) in his abbreviated stint as Dolphins head man, but still managed to impress some individuals along the way.
He also received support on Twitter from former NFL defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, who played for Campbell in Miami in '15.
What could be the "cherry on top" for Campbell in the eyes of Hamp, Wood and Spielman is the job that Campbell has held since leaving the Dolphins.
Since 2016, he has served as the Saints' tight ends coach and assistant head coach -- a period of time during which the organization has gone 56-24 in the regular season, with four straight playoff appearances and three playoff wins.
New Orleans' most recent playoff victory came this past weekend against the Chicago Bears in the wild card round.
In the same span of time, the Lions -- first with Jim Caldwell as head coach (2016-17) and then Patricia as head man (2018-20) -- have gone a combined 32-47-1, with just one playoff appearance and zero postseason victories.
Replacing Patricia with the fiery Campbell could be the change of pace that the organization direly needs.
And, after passing up on a coach with similar qualities -- i.e. Vrabel -- during the team's last coaching search, ownership might view hiring Campbell as a source of redemption.
So, he definitely has a shot at landing the Detroit job.
And, at this present juncture, I give him a 40 percent chance of being the next individual to lead the franchise from the sidelines.
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