Lions part ways with OC John Morton after missing playoffs

Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News on Jan 6, 2026

Published in Football

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DETROIT — The Detroit Lions have parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton after one season, the team announced Tuesday evening.

Morton was hired last offseason to take over for the departing Ben Johnson, now the coach of the Chicago Bears, and failed to meet the standard set by his predecessor. After eight games, Lions coach Dan Campbell opted to relieve Morton of his play-calling duties and take over for the rest of the season.

Detroit's offense was by no means bad under Morton, and he did have the unfortunate circumstance of having to replace an All-Pro center in Frank Ragnow just before the season. Entering what would be his final game as play-caller, a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 2, the Lions were third in points per game and eighth in total offense.

But things didn't look right, at least not compared to the standard that had been set in previous seasons. The offense didn't play well situationally, and they were often the unit that didn't uphold its end of the complementary football bargain. As problems persisted, it didn't seem like anybody was on the same page as to why — starting with Morton.

"Overall, I think that it's just more effort for (Campbell), and it sucks that he kind of had to deal with that, but I feel like for what we had here, he was probably the best person for the job," Lions center Graham Glasgow said of the situation this past Monday.

After the first loss to Minnesota, Campbell said the primary issue with the team's struggles was communication. "Listen, we did not handle some of the communication well. Not well enough, where we all need to be on the same page," Campbell said right after the game.

A few days later, Morton was asked about the communication issues that were plaguing the offense.

"I think our communication has been really good," Morton said. "Ever since the Green Bay game, it’s been really good. It’s just a matter of some guys getting beat. That’s all it is. I’m just telling you that’s - when you look at it over and over and over, it’s one or two guys that are just breaking down."

A few days after that, Morton was relieved of his play-calling role for good. In Campbell's first game in the role, Detroit's offense put up 546 yards and scored five touchdowns in a 44-22 win against the Washington Commanders. Morton publicly handled the demotion well, saying at the time, "I fully support it."

As for his future in Detroit, the writing has been on the wall for more than half the season, even though Campbell suggested that Morton could resume play-calling duties after the two spent more time together.

Campbell will now make one of the most important hires of his tenure in finding Morton's replacement. While he knocked it out of the park with Johnson, his other two coordinator hires — Morton and Anthony Lynn, who also lasted less than a year as Detroit's play-caller — have not worked out.

Still, the Lions tied for fourth in points per game (28.3) and were fifth in total offense (373.2 yards per game). The Lions are not looking to tear down the preexisting scheme envisioned by Campbell, but rather someone who can help enforce the details to make it function at a high level while adding their own flavor.

Campbell could even decide to continue calling plays himself, although he's previously said that he prefers to focus on other aspects of the game in his role as head coach. But he said this week he plans to consider that as a plan of action going forward.

"I don’t know exactly where I’m at with that yet," Campbell said of his role as play-caller. "I mean, I guess one of the good things if I did do that, you don’t have to worry about somebody else leaving. You don’t have to worry about your play-caller leaving. So, that would be one of the perks of it."

The timeline for hiring Morton's replacement is unclear. The Bears hired Johnson on Jan. 20 last offseason; Morton was officially announced as the new offensive coordinator in Detroit on Jan. 30.

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