Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell wasted no time starting his search for a new offensive coordinator, with several candidates interviewed. A hire didn't seem imminent, until news came on Monday that former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is coming to Detroit to replace John Morton.
There were no reports of Petzing interviewing with the Lions after he was part of Jonathan Gannon's fired staff in Arizona. One key question has been answered, with ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reporting Petzing should be in line to call plays for the Lions.
This should be a playcalling job for new Lions OC Drew Petzing. The expectation during OC interviews is that Dan Campbell would relinquish playcalling for the new guy.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 19, 2026
In Petzing's three years as offensive coordinator, the Cardinals finished 19th in total offense twice and outside the top-22 in scoring offense twice as well. Injuries depleted the skill position options in Arizona this season, but the peak (2024) was the No. 12 scoring offense and the 11th-best offense by total yardage. Any idea that season's success was done with "nobody" is missing what the Cardinals had in place.
Dan Campbell's grip on Lions' offense may have hurt the offensive coordinator search
During his season-ending press conference, Campbel was not willing to say if he'd give up play calling after taking those duties from Morton in the middle of the season. Giving those duties to Petzing doesn't mean there won't be a repeat next season, and Campbell's comments from back in November are potentially informative.
"Don’t forget. Ben (Johnson) – I called those games. I called whatever that was, eight or nine games – I don’t remember what it was – in ’21 while he helped me. But he watched, he learned, he saw how I ran it, how I wanted to run it, what I was looking for. And then it evolved, he evolved it from there. He took it, he knew exactly what I wanted, and by the middle of ’22, I didn’t have to say a word.”
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"What I was looking for."
"What I wanted."
The Lions' offense, for better or worse and regardless of who's calling plays, will be what Campbell wants it to be. An offensive coordinator will never have 100 percent autonomy, even if they are calling the plays.
An offensive coordinator candidate with options, including former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel but not just him, may have been turned off by Campbell wanting to maintain his influence over how things are done. Petzing's name had not surfaced anywhere else since his departure from the Cardinals.
Maybe the Petzing hire works out wonderfully, and he's the Lions offensive coordinator for a number of very successful years. Or maybe he was the one candidate who would take the job, with play calling duties as a caveat to understanding the offense will look the way Campbell wants it to, above all else.