Dan Campbell is only focused on his day job this season.
The Detroit Lions head coach quickly established himself as a fan favorite on the field, thanks to his intense, authentic and fiery personality. It didn't take long for that to extend to events off the field as well. Campbell famously made his acting debut in a series of Applebee's commercials starting in 2024, starring as a shift manager.
It was a role that Campbell returned to in 2025, but fans won't see him donning the company's logo in 2026, the head coach told USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell during a training camp interview.
“No, I didn’t do that this year,” Campbell said of his Applebee's advertising gig. “I stepped away from all of that. Just because. I can’t ask my players to do something
if I’m not going to do it. That doesn’t mean they don’t still have things going on, you’re just trying to make a little point. Like let’s not forget what got us that.
“There’s a reason why all the success happened. There’s a reason why all these good things happened. It was because of the work we put in, our competitiveness, and our attitude. That’s it. That’s all it was.”
Campbell's sole focus is on getting the Lions across the finish line this year.
After all, it wasn't long ago that Detroit was the league's lovable underdog. Now they're looking to avoid a classic case of wasted potential.
The 2025 season represented the first step back during the Campbell era. It had been a steady climb prior to that, going from three wins in 2021 to 15 wins and the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2024. A heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers ended that season for the Lions, prompting Campbell to reflect after the game.
"I told those guys, this may have been our only shot," the coach famously said after the game.
Until this point, Campbell is right.
One way or another, the 50-year-old has clocked out for the last time at Applebee's. It's all about the Lions from now on.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dan Campbell clocks out at Applebee's to focus solely on Lions in 2026
