Detroit Lions fans have mixed feelings about their new offensive coordinator hire, Drew Petzing. After firing John Morton after one season, a majority of Lions fans were pushing for the franchise to hire former Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel as their new offensive coordinator.
The Lions, however, opted for Petzing, the former offensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, as their dream choice. McDaniel took the open OC position with the Los Angeles Chargers.
How Brad Holmes decided that Petzing was the right fit at offensive coordinator
With many fans having doubts, Lions general manager Brad Holmes, who faces a pivotal offseason, addressed the hiring of Petzing as offensive coordinator and why they chose him over other candidates that were under consideration for the OC vacancy.
“A lot of it is what I like about him is that it’s not a system. It’s what you do you have, what’s the personnel that you have,” Holmes said. “Like, what can we do? And so that’s what I think he showed us in that process is that he can maximize personnel that’s available. So that’s real exciting,” Holmes told the Detroit Free Press.
Petzing served as the offensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals for three seasons from 2023 to 2025, building a great reputation across the league despite the franchise’s recent struggles. His football IQ and preparation were the main factors in Holmes decision to hire Petzing as the Lions new offensive coordinator.
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“Petzing is just very sharp, very bright, just really liked his attention to detail,” Holmes said. “He was very well recommended, all the vetting that we did. I mean, all the sources couldn’t speak highly enough about him. And just kind of just really liked what his philosophy was behind the offensive football and how he utilized personnel. So, it just, he just checked all the boxes, man. So we were excited about him,” Holmes added.
Petzing arrives with much more offensive talent than he had with the Cardinals, with running backs Jahmyr Gibbs, a potential return of David Montgomery, along with wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Isaac TeSlaa. He is now tasked with getting the Lions offense back to elite status, as it was under former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
These comments seem to indicate that Holmes isn't planning on any major roster shakeups on offense, which means what we see now is what Petzing will be working with, for the most part, in 2026.
After not having the same offensive firepower fans were accustomed to during the Lions' two consecutive playoff appearances and NFC North division titles, fans are hoping that the hiring of Petzing can get the Lions back to their explosive offensive form and back to the NFL playoffs.
Lions fans' concerns about Petzing stem from his time with the Cardinals. During his three seasons with Arizona, they failed to make the playoffs. The hiring of Petzing as the Lions' new offensive coordinator came as a surprise to many, and fans are hoping he can prove their doubts wrong next season.