Dan Campbell Makes Key Decision About New Challenge Flag Rule

This year, the NFL has implemented a new rule involving coach challenges during the course of an NFL game.

Beginning in 2026, head coaches across the league can designate one assistant coach to handle their challenges, meaning an assistant would be in possession of the challenge flag with the ability to make the decision to contest a call made on the field.

However, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell will not be giving up the challenge flag for any of his assistants. He quipped to a reporter that he would consider allowing him to be on the sideline and be the one to make the challenge decisions before asserting that he won't be delegating the responsibility.

"No, I'm not giving that flag up to anybody," Campbell said prior to the team's 13th training camp practice. "No way."

Campbell noted that at the end of games, he'll be the one to answer questions about what went right and what went wrong. As a result, he doesn't plan to put one of his other coaches in that position.

“Look, the buck stops with me anyway," Campbell said. "I’m answering the questions, so why would I give it to somebody else for me to answer for somebody else? It all comes to me anyway, so yeah, that’s it.”

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According to Pro Football Reference, Campbell has challenged 27 calls in his first five seasons as the Lions' head coach. Of those calls, 14 have been upheld and 13 have been overturned.

The rule change was just recently adopted, with coaches required to let officials know before the game if they are electing to allow an assistant to handle those duties.

Rule 15, Section 1, Article 1(a) now states, "The head coach or head coach's pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick."

Elsewhere across the league, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel sparked debate with his decision to keep the challenge flag as opposed to designate a different coach for the role.

“They’ve always asked me who has the challenge flag, and I know that there’s been other players, or other people other than coaches," Vrabel said, via Boston.com. "So I was kind of surprised that this got talked about, but no, I’ll keep the challenge flag.”

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