Dan Campbell has never been a full-time head coach in the NFL. He just landed a six-year deal as head coach of the Lions.
The hire was expected; the Lions had tabbed Campbell as their guy at the end of last week. The length of the contract is a bit of a surprise. Clearly, the leaders of Detroit's head coaching search -- Chris Spielman, Rod Wood and Sheila Ford Hamp -- are convinced Campbell has what it takes.
The two sides reached an official agreement Wednesday morning, according to Ian Rapoport.
In the 44-year-old Campbell, the Lions are getting a coach who's earned rave reviews from his former players. They describe him as an emotional leader, the kind you want to fight for. That will mark a welcome 180 from Matt Patricia, who lost the locker room in his first season with the Lions and never recovered.
Former Lions quarterback and current NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky, who played with Campbell for three seasons in Detroit, called the team's new head coach an 'awesome leader,' a 'great teammate' and 'toughness embodied.'
"As widely-respected as a dude in the NFL, as a guy that we have in the NFL coaching ranks," Orlovsky told the Pat McAfee Show last week.
Detroit's head coaching search was led primarily by Spielman. New general manager Brad Holmes wasn't hired until the process was all but complete, but Holmes had a chance to speak with Campbell and approve of the hire before it became official.
"When the head coach is announced, it will be with Brad’s awareness and support," Wood said Tuesday during Holmes' introductory press conference.
The biggest question about Campbell will be his play-calling ability. He's never served as a coordinator and his only head coaching experience came in an interim capacity for the Dolphins in 2015. The team went 5-7 under his watch.
As for assembling a coaching staff, Campbell's travels across the NFL should serve him well. He played for four teams during his 11-year career, then spent six seasons as a coach with the Dolphins, then five more with the Saints. He's already tabbed former Pro Bowl CB and Saints secondary coach Aaron Glenn as his defensive coordinator.
"His connections and the people he knows within the league are going to give him a really good opportunity to put together a big-time staff," Orlovsky said.
Unlike Patricia, and every head coach in Detroit before that, Campbell also has this working in his favor: an understanding of the Lions' history. That is, an appreciation for their struggles -- and what it might take to turn things around. He was part of the 0-16 team in 2008, as well as the 3-13 club in 2006.
"I like the fact that he’s got ties to the organization," Orlovsky said. "I think that’s important for a place like Detroit. They gotta get somebody in there who understands the organization, understands where the organization has been and the struggles, and why some of those struggles happened."
Now it's up to Campbell and Holmes to bring the Lions somewhere new.