The 2026 Pro Bowl Games have proven to be a great opportunity to catch up with Lions players after a disappointing end to the regular season, and pick their brains about the new offensive coordinator hire.
Quarterback Jared Goff has already spoken extensively about the "home run" Drew Petzing hire at the 2026 Pro Bowl Games. His All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also chimed in, as quoted by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, saying that he's also "excited" to work with Petzing.
"I talked a little bit to (Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride). Obviously, Trey loves him. He had a record year, but Trey said he likes him. He’s smart, he’s detailed, so I mean ... I think it’ll be great for us."
Birkett noted that St. Brown has spoken "briefly" to Petzing since the hire. St. Brown also had the opportunity to chat with Trey McBride, as the Cardinals' All-Pro tight end is also in Los Angeles for the Pro Bowl. McBride was the only offensive player for the 3-14 Cardinals selected to the Pro Bowl, but under Petzing's offense, he has cemented himself as one of the game's best TEs with a record-breaking 126 receptions at the TE position this past season.
Much like in nature, the Lions are a much different animal than the Cardinals. McBride took on much of the load for the Cardinals' offense, providing a big safety net for QB Jacoby Brissett in his own career year.
The Lions have a Second-Team All-Pro TE in Sam LaPorta. St. Brown himself is a multi-time First-Team All-Pro WR, while Jameson Williams had an extremely strong second half to the season en route to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Add in five-time Pro Bowl QB Jared Goff and one of the most electrifying running backs in the NFL in Jahmyr Gibbs, and Petzing will have an embarrassment of riches on offense. He'll have to utilize them well to avoid being another Lions OC embarrassment. St. Brown and Goff being excited is definitely a good sign, at least.
St. Brown strikes a different tone compared to weeks ago
St. Brown's comments come weeks after his initial controversial response to the Petzing hire. On the St. Brown Podcast, the star WR called out "crazy" Lions fans upset over the hire, while questioning their trust in head coach Dan Campbell and their ball knowledge.
"You think they would just hire a random dude? You think they don't know what they're doing, they don't do their research, they don't interview? Most of you guys don't know really much about anything, about any ball, and you're tweeting about a coach that was hired that you guys don't like because X, Y, Z."
St. Brown's comments were met with some backlash, given Campbell's questionable in hindsight hire of John Morton as OC last season, and his initial OC hire of Anthony Lynn in 2021. Both original Campbell OC hires lost their play-calling duties in the middle of their first season with the team before being fired at the conclusion of the season.
READ MORE: Dan Campbell may have had Mike Kafka on his mind weeks before hiring him
Naturally, fans are going to be skeptical and anxious over the Petzing hire, especially with concerns about the roster in need of some shake-ups. St. Brown's latest comments are much more reassuring as it's less about the fan reaction to the hire and more about what Petzing brings to the table.
Time will tell who is right or wrong about the Petzing hire, but it looks like Lions players have fully bought into what Petzing sold to them by speaking to him, and to Cardinals players who played under him. Fingers crossed those players, and the organization, are on the right side of the OC debate this time.