Lions Hiring Former Arizona Cardinals Offensive Coordinator

The Detroit Lions have found their next offensive coordinator.

According to multiple reports, the team is hiring former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as their next leader of the offense.

The 38-year-old attended Middlebury College and played defensive back for the Panthers. After two years (2006-2006) injuries cut short his career.

Petzing started his coaching career as a volunteer student assistant at Harvard. He has also coached collegiately at Boston College and Yale.

In the NFL, he has coached with the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.

He served as the Vikings offensive assistant (2014-2015), assistant wide receivers coach (2016-2017), assistant quarterbacks coach (2018), wide receivers coach (2019).

Similar to Ben Johnson, Petzing also gained valuable experience working as a tight ends coach. In Cleveland, he spent two years with the tight ends (2020-2021) before working as as the quarterbacks coach (2022.)

According to the Cardinals team website, "In his first season with Arizona in 2023, the Cardinals offense finished 4th in the NFL in rushing (2,365 yards) and 2nd in rushing average (5.02). It was just the second time since 1970 the Cardinals had a top-five rushing offense in the NFL (3rd in 1979).
Prior to Cleveland, Petzing spent six seasons (2014-19) coaching with Minnesota. As the Vikings wide receivers coach in 2019, WR Stefon Diggs set a then career-high with 1,130 receiving yards and finished 4th in the league that season with a 17.9-yard average on 63 receptions. Working with Kirk Cousins in 2018, the Vikings QB set a team record for completions (425), threw for the third-most passing yards (4,298), had the second-highest completion percentage (70.1%) and recorded the fourth-highest passer rating (99.7) by a Viking in team history."

After parting ways with former offensive coordinator John Morton, the team did cast a very wide net in their search.

Previously, Dan Campbell had hired Anthony Lynn in 2021, but that only lasted one season. The veteran coach had his play-calling duties stripped.

Ben Johnson did not have previous coordinator experience, but was quite successful in marrying his principles with what the Los Angeles Rams were successful running with Jared Goff under center.

After Johnson departed, Morton was tabbed to take over, but was dismissed after the 2025 season concluded.

Detroit had been linked to Mike McDaniel, Mike Kafka, Tee Martin, Arthur Smith and Zac Robinson, but elected to hire a coordinator with three years of coordinator experience.

Last year, the Cardinals offense only rushed for 1,589 yards, the second-fewest in the Nationall Football League.

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