The Detroit Lions are in rebuild mode, as they come out of a difficult season that saw the team with a 9-8 record and at the bottom spot in the NFC North. But, the Lions are known for rebounding, and on Monday, January 26, the team made a decision about the franchise’s future to shape it for the 2026-27 season.
Heading into the upcoming season, the No. 1 priority for the Detroit Lions is to shape up their offense. The team parted ways with their offensive coordinator John Morton on January 6, following his first year with the franchise, and they’ve already replaced Morton with former Arizona Cardinals offensive Drew Petzing as their offensive coordinator.
That move was controversial itself, but now, the Detroit Lions have made yet another move that’s drawing raised eyebrows. This move has to do with their offense.
Detroit Lions head coach pointed to the franchise’s need to strengthen their offense after the team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas day. “The story of that game was six turnovers. Can’t turn the ball over six times and win in this league,” he said. “You know, defense did some really good things, getting stop after stop. Offensively, I thought we played hard. We just did not, you turn the ball over that many times, it’s going to hurt. So that’s what got us.”
Detroit Lions Move Gets Pushback
On Monday, January 26, football reporter Tom Pelissero shared the news that the Detroit Lions are hiring former New York Giants interim coach Mike Kafka for a role on their offensive staff.
“Former Giants interim coach Mike Kafka is joining the Lions in a high-ranking offensive staff role, per sources,” Pelissero stated on X. “Kafka, 38, has been a finalist for multiple head coaching jobs in recent years. Now, an opportunity to learn from one of the best with Dan Campbell in Detroit.”
Now, what’s wrong with this picture? There’s the little point that the New York Giants were 4-13 for the 2025-26 season. Almost as bad as the Cardinals at 3-14.
So, the Lions are hiring people coming from franchises with worse records than Detroit. Is that really going to help?
Followers were quick to push back on the hire. “They’re tanking for someone alright,” one follower said on X. Another noted that the Lions “hired two people from two terrible systems.” One more added, “2023 really was the Detroit Lions best shot.”
Select Followers Support Detroit Lions’ Decision
Not all of the comments were negative, though. One follower wrote, “I like this move. He was cooking us when we played this season.” Another said, “Kafka finally lands in a spot where he can really grow under Campbell. Detroit just keeps building a murderer’s row of offensive minds. Smart move by both sides.”
Campbell wants to win, as he explained during the season, stating, “Losing is very disappointing. Losing. I hate losing. We do. But look, I mean some of these things that come up, the efforts there. It’s just boy, we are not, we’re just a little off here. And it’s costing us significantly. Just there again, too many turnovers. That’s what really got us, man. Just couldn’t overcome it.”
So, with these two new hires in place, things will be different for the Detroit Lions in the 2026-27 season. But, we’ll have to see if it’s a good different.
