The Detroit Lions are not currently searching for a head coach, although Dan Campbell’s seat may begin to heat up if his Drew Petzing hire doesn’t pan out. That doesn’t mean the Lions aren’t paying attention to this offseason’s edition of the coaching carousel and who goes where.
The Lions are set to play against six teams in the 2026 season that will be employing a new head coach. That’s as of this writing, as more head coach firings could still be made.
At home, the Lions will play against long-time Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and his newfound home with the New York Giants, as well as former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, now leading the Tennessee Titans.
Harbaugh went 5-1 against the Lions, but that one loss came in his final season, which was a cathartic 38-30 victory for the Lions. Saleh lost his lone game against the Lions in a 2022 thriller, where the Lions won 20-17 on a 51-yard TD reception by tight end Brock Wright within the final two minutes.
On the road, the Lions will visit former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and the Atlanta Falcons, former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins, along with the Arizona Cardinals and the Buffalo Bills, who are still seeking out candidates.
Stefanski went 1-1 against the Lions while with the Browns. That one victory was a 13-10 win in Campbell’s first season with the Lions, while the loss came one week after the Lions defeated Harbaugh’s Ravens in a 34-10 blowout. In Hafley’s two seasons as the Packers’ DC, they went 2-2 against the Lions, being swept in 2024 and doing the sweeping in 2025.
Campbell has an impressive record against new head coaches
How have the Lions done against offseason head coaching hires in their first season with their new team? Incredibly well, with one very painful exception. Overall, Campbell is 12-4 in such games, with three of those losses coming in his first two seasons with the team.
Campbell’s victories have come against names like Denver Broncos Sean Payton and Seattle Seahawks Mike Macdonald, who are both vying for a Super Bowl berth this weekend. Campbell was also victorious against former Giants head coach and likely Bills head coaching hire, Brian Daboll.
He’s also 3-1 against NFC North opponents with a new head coach, going 2-0 against Chicago Bears’ Ben Johnson and 1-1 against Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell.
Interestingly enough, two of Campbell’s losses came against coaches whom he later interviewed for this recent OC opening: then-Falcons head coach Arthur Smith and then-Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel.
However, it’s that fourth and most recent loss that stings the most — in the playoffs against the Washington Commanders’ Dan Quinn. That matchup against Quinn is the only time Campbell faced a new head coach in the playoffs.
Take away that 0-1 playoff record, and Campbell hasn’t lost such a game in the regular-season since 2022, winning 12 in a row.
Even though the Lions aren’t in the market for a new head coach at this time, the team and its fans should be paying close attention to who gets hired to head coaching gigs. It may end up being the difference between a playoff berth and another disappointing season.
