Dan Campbell Ranked Top NFL Coaching Hire in Last Five Years

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has amassed a record of 48-36-1 (.571) in his first five seasons in Motown.

ESPN NFL writer Bill Barnwell recently released a ranking of the 37 NFL head coaches hired in the past five seasons.

Campbell earned the top spot, beating out Nick Sirianni of the Eagles and Mike Macdonald of the Seahawks.

Performance and playoff success obviously factoried into the rankings, but Barnwell explained he was seeking evidence of the impact these ranked coaches had on their organizations and their players.

Naturally, in-game decisions also factored in, along with how much players who were already on the roster improved after the coach arrived. The development of players was also examined, as well as did the team become a destination free agents would want to join.

As Barnwell explained, "It took a year and a half of frustrating losses, but Campbell turned the Lions into one of the league's model organizations. Yes, 2025 was a frustrating year, as the Lions missed departed offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, dealt with injuries and ran into some tough luck in one-score games, but they have one of the best rosters in football. Campbell's aggressive decision-making on fourth down has been a huge plus, even if the Lions haven't succeeded 100% of the time in those situations. They came within a drop or two of making it to the Super Bowl in 2023, and they overachieved in 2024 by winning 15 games despite being down to third-stringers on defense."

After early struggles, the team has gone on to have four consecutive winning seasons.

There have been growing questions regarding the former NFL tight ends decision-making, both in his hiring practices and during games.

Campbell has already fired two offensive coordinators who only lasted one season on the job. In 2025, with a depleted offensive line, Campbell still decided to remain aggressive, opting not to take points and to continue to go for it heavily on fourth-down.

Detroit's fourth-down conversion percentage was predictably lower in 2025 than it was in 2024.

Despite a handful of concerns, Barnwell still believes it is reasonable to expect Campbell to have an opportunity to remain the coach of the Lions for at least the next decade.

Barnwell wrote, "Put it this way: If you had to predict a single hire from the past five years to still be in their current job 15 years from now, who would you pick? My choice would be Campbell, who has become the face of the franchise in Detroit."

Campbell is currently under contract with the Lions through the 2027 season.

More from Detroit Lions OnSI