Anthony Lynn seems sure to be one-and-done as Lions offensive coordinator, so who could replace him for next season?
A struggling offense will always put scrutiny on the offensive coordinator, and Anthony Lynn has been no different in his first season with the Detroit Lions. Head coach Dan Campbell said he wanted to be more involved with the offense, and coming out of the Week 9 bye he took over play-calling duties in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Lynn said all he really could say about losing play-calling duties.
"I don’t see it as a demotion,” Lynn said. “I’ve been in Dan’s shoes and if I was 0-8, hell, and I need to spark my team being an offensive guy, I probably would have done the same thing, to be honest with you, and I have. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t agree with what he did,” Lynn said. “I thought it worked well. I thought we worked well together last week."
Firing Lynn in-season wouldn’t accomplish anything, and all indications are Campbell won’t be doing it. But Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports pointed to coaching staff changes likely to come after the season, with his reporting of Lynn struggling to connect with Jared Goff and citing sources who passed along “personality clashes.”
The Lions will surely have a new offensive coordinator in 2022. So who could replace Lynn?
5 candidates to replace Anthony Lynn as Lions offensive coordinator
5. Luke Getsy, Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator
Getsy is in his third season on the Packers coaching staff, and his second as passing game coordinator as well as quarterbacks coach. He’s been in Green Bay as an assistant coach going back to 2014, save for one season (2018) as offensive coordinator at Mississippi State.
There’s a head coaching opening at Akron, and according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic Getsy has surfaced as a candidate for his alma mater (h/t to Acme Packing Company).
"Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Luke Getsy, a former Zips standout who led them to a MAC title, was in the final three to get the head coaching job last time. Would he be willing to leave the NFL now to return to his alma mater? He might be more inclined to keep rising up the NFL coaching ranks where he’s probably not far from getting offensive coordinator looks."
Getsy will certainly be someone teams looking for an offensive coordinator will have on their radar. If he doesn’t go back to Akron to take the head coaching job, and that possibility helps bump him down this list, the Lions should have him high on their list of candidates to replace Lynn.