One NFL analysts believes Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell is entering the 2026 season on the hot seat.
Now before I go nuclear on this podcast clip, a little context.
This is from Monday’s episode of “The Rich Eisen Show,” and it was in the middle of a segment called Overreaction Monday. Of course, the purpose of this segment is to propose some “out there” opinions that are unpopular, but believable
This particular clip is not from Eisen himself, but his co-host and senior producer of the show, Chris
Brockman. He offered a countdown of the five coaches entering the season on the hot seat, and Campbell came in at three on his list.
“Year 6 coming up for Dan Campbell, can you believe that?” Brockman said. “And Detroit, only 2-2 in the playoffs. I thought we would’ve had another NFC Championship Game, maybe a Super Bowl run in them. I think it’s kinda—with the Bears coming on and we don’t know what Minnesota is going to look like and obviously Green Bay is right there—big year for Dan Campbell.”
Eisen responded with, “I don’t think that’s an overreaction. I don’t know, dude. We’ll see how the season plays out. We’ll see how it plays out, but I would be surprised.”
It’s a relatively weak argument from Brockman. Have the Lions underachieved when it comes to postseason success over the last two years? Undoubtedly. The Divisional Round loss to the Commanders was devastating, and missing out on the playoffs entirely last year is unacceptable.
But, unless the Lions nosedive into complete irrelevancy and contend for a top-five pick in 2027, there is no reason to believe Campbell should be anywhere near the hot seat. For god sakes, he’s a single year away from producing the NFL’s best regular season record. The Lions are still very much in the midst of their Super Bowl window, and while it will certainly be tough to maintain a high level of success given their expensive core of young players, there has been little indication Campbell isn’t up for the challenge.
What’s particularly interesting is how high of a standard Brockman is holding Campbell to, while clearly not holding other coaches—even within the division—to the same bar. He mentions the Vikings, yet why isn’t Kevin O’Connell considered on the hot seat? He is entering Year 5 with Minnesota and hasn’t produced a single postseason win yet. Packers’ Matt LaFleur will be in Year 8 with Green Bay, and the Packers have just one postseason win (1-4) since Dan Campbell was hired.
I suspect the reason is because of overall reputation—earned or unearned. Campbell isn’t viewed as an “offensive genius,” while guys like O’Connell and LaFleur are. And with Ben Johnson’s success in Year 1 with the Bears, Campbell has to fight off narratives that his former offensive coordinator was the primary source of Detroit’s success.
But this is nothing new for Campbell. He’s been doubted, discredited, and laughed at since he stepped into Allen Park in 2021. Since then, he’s been the first Lions coach in over 50 years to product four straight winning seasons, the first to make an NFC Championship in 32 years, and by the end of 2026, he’s likely to have the second-most wins in franchise history. But go on, keep doubting him.
For what it’s worth, here is Brockman’s full list:
5. Jets coach Aaron Glenn
4. Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles
3. Lions coach Dan CAmpbell
2. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni
1. Bengals coach Zac Taylor
