Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions.
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The Detroit Lions had a 9-8 record in the 2025-26 season and no trip to the playoffs. So, is Dan Campbell in the hot seat?
The Detroit Lions have enjoyed a turnaround under head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, and the team even made it to the NFC championship game for the 2023-24 season, where they fell to the San Francisco 49ers. But, the Lions ended the 2026-27 season at last place in the NFC North with a 9-8 record, according to ESPN research, in a dismal showing. So, is Campbell in the hot seat?
At this point, Campbell is a cornerstone of the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan. Those who follow the Detroit Lions have loved seeing this team finally be considered contenders in the NFL, after years of being the brunt of jokes. But, in the NFL, you’re only as good as your last season. So, it’s a fair point whether Campbell, and Holmes, should be worried.
Now, Campbell has been put on notice for the 2026-27 season. If he doesn’t turn things around, he may start to get worried, according to an insider in the NFL.
NFL Insider Says Dan Campbell is One of Just Two Coaches That’s in the Hot Seat for the 2026-27 Season
NFL insider Mike Florio thinks Campbell should be sweating. During an appearance on the Friday, April 3 episode of NBC Sports’ “Pro Football Talk Live,” Florio picked named Campbell and Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell as the two people with the most pressure in the NFC North to deliver this season.
“Let’s just say it’s 6-11,” Florio said on the program. “The Lions or the Vikings [finish the 2026 season at] 6-11. Next year [becomes] a ‘better turn this around now,’ and that applies to both of them.”
So, Florio clearly thinks the Detroit Lions have work to do, and if Campbell can’t make the magic return again, the powers are be will start to question the direction of the team. The same point could be made on Holmes.
Detroit Lions Owner Shelia Ford Hamp Discusses the Failures of the 2025-26 Season
Following the Detroit Lions ending their season in January with no trip to the playoffs, Detroit Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp sent a message to the team’s season ticket holders admitting “that our results on the field this season were not what any of us envisioned and frankly, were not good enough.”
“While we do not believe it is a time for drastic change, this is an opportunity for us to refocus, evolve, and move forward,” Hamp added, though.
She also gave Campbell and Holmes props for what they’ve done over the past three seasons, but added that “it also does not guarantee future success. It is incumbent upon us to continue growing toward our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to all of you and the city of Detroit.”
At his end-of-the-season presser in January, Homes echoed that, stating that the team is taking a “long, hard look” at where they’re at and that he’s “already started to identify some things that I can definitely do better.”
So, Holmes and Campbell know they’re under pressure to deliver this season. That’s how it works in the NFL. If they can get the team to the playoffs again, that pressure will likely come off, even if they don’t go all the way.