Anthony Lynn is out in Detroit after just one season with the club.
The Lions and the offensive coordinator were expected to part ways following the team's Week 18 game against the Green Bay Packers, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday morning, per sources. Head coach Dan Campbell officially announced the move Monday when talking to reporters.
Lynn was hired by Campbell in January 2021 after a four-year spell as a head coach.
A former NFL running back of eight seasons and assistant coach of 17 campaigns, Lynn was hired as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. He spent four seasons in L.A., shepherding the Bolts to a 33-31 record and one postseason appearance in their new locale. Lynn was fired after a second straight sub-.500 season in 2020.
In Detroit, Lynn was among a slew of former players hired as coaches under Campbell, a former NFL tight end and first-time head coach himself. He was joined by Duce Staley (assistant HC), Aaron Glenn (defensive coordinator), Mark Brunell (quarterbacks) and Antwaan Randle El (wide receivers), among others.
The Lions offense, led by Lynn, quarterback Jared Goff, running back D'Andre Swift and tight end T.J. Hockenson, struggled to propel Detroit to many victories and broke 20 points just once in its first 11 games. The Lions enter Week 18 ranked 22nd in total offense and 28th in scoring offense; Detroit's third-down and red-zone attacks have also been among the league's worst.
Things got so dire for Lynn and the Lions that the OC was stripped of play-calling duties in November after Detroit's 0-8-1 start. Campbell took over the offensive reins, a move that Lynn, at the time, did not see as a "demotion."
"I've been in Dan's shoes, and if I was 0-8 and I need to spark my team, then as an offensive guy, I probably would've done the same thing, to be honest with you, and I have," Lynn said. "I would be a hypocrite if I didn't agree with what he did."
Now Lynn will have the opportunity to find a spark with a new team, either as an offensive coordinator, a running backs coach or even a head coach.
