Lions' Special Teams Assistant Interviews for Buccaneers Vacancy

The Detroit Lions had to deal with plenty of coaching turnover last offseason, and head coach Dan Campbell is no stranger to other teams having interest in his assistants.

On Saturday, reports indicate that the team has an assistant that could be in demand for the 2026 season. Detroit's special teams assistant Jett Modkins has interview with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their Special Teams Coordinator vacancy, the Buccaneers announced on Saturday.

Modkins is the first player announced to have interviewed with the Buccaneers. Detroit is in the midst of its own coordinator search after parting ways with offensive coordinator John Morton.

Modkins has been with the Lions for five seasons, initially joining the organization the same year the team hired Campbell. He has held the same role, assistant special teams coach, for the duration of his tenure with the team.

He has garnered some interest in the past, interviewing for the San Francisco 49ers' special teams vacancy. According to Detroit Football Network, Modkins also had conversations with the Denver Broncos and New York Jets, the latter of which is coached by former Lions' defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

“I learned that I’m closer than I thought I was,” Modkins told Detroit Football Network recently. “Last season, I didn’t want to put the cart before the horse. I wanted to stay locked in on where my feet were and not look at anything outside, just own my role and be great at what I was doing, impress the people that are around me instead of everybody else."

During his tenure working alongside Special Teams Coordinator Dave Fipp, Modkins has helped develop three All-Pro selections in return man Kalif Raymond, punter Jack Fox and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.

Detroit's special teams operation has been one of the most efficient over the last several years, particularly on kick coverage. Additionally, the team is known for having wrinkles and fakes in its special teams playbook.

Prior to coming to Detroit, Modkins served as the Denver Broncos' diversity coaching assistant in 2020 and began his coaching career as a volunteer defensive assistant at Akron University. As a player, he played collegiately at Glendale Community College in Arizona.

His father, Curtis, is a 25-year coaching veteran who is currently the Minnesota Vikings' run game coordinator/running backs coach.

Curtis Modkins has familiarity with the Lions' organization, as he coached the team's running backs under Jim Caldwell from 2013-15.

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