Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are expected to hire Dan Campbell as their next head coach, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.  

"The two sides still need to work out a deal, but it is not considered an obstacle, and Campbell is the head coach the Lions plan to hire, sources told Schefter," the report from ESPN's Michael Rothstein read.

Campbell has spent the past five seasons as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints. The organization has been one of the most consistent in the NFL over this stretch, winning at least 11 regular-season games in each of the last four years.

Rothstein provided more context on how he climbed to the top of Detroit's list:

"The 44-year-old Campbell, who has never been a coordinator in the NFL, is viewed as a motivator and someone who can bring a team together instead of an X's-and-O's guru. The Lions had been searching for people they considered unifiers throughout their search as they identified qualities they deemed important to building a winner out of a franchise that has one playoff win in the Super Bowl era and claimed its last division title in 1993."

Campbell also spent 10 years in the NFL as a player with three different organizations, including his last three with Detroit from 2006-08.

Though he has limited experience as a head coach, he did lead the Miami Dolphins to a 5-7 record as an interim coach in 2015.

Campbell would take over a franchise that has been seeking stability at head coach for many years.

Matt Patricia was fired in the middle of his third season in 2020, going 13-29-1 after he was hired in 2018. No coach has lasted more than five years with the Lions since Wayne Fontes, who last coached in 1996. He was also the last coach to win a playoff game with the franchise, in 1991.

Detroit has seen little but disappointment since then, including just three playoff appearances since 2000.

The team hasn't made the playoffs in four years and enters 2021 with three straight losing seasons.

It will be a long road to recovery after last season's struggles, finishing 5-11 with the worst defense in the NFL in both points and yards allowed.

There are still reasons to be excited about the future with a quarterback in place in Matthew Stafford if the new administration chooses to keep him. Quality young playmakers like D'Andre Swift, Kenny Golladay and T.J. Hockenson could lead to plenty of fireworks offensively.

Despite the defensive struggles, there are still quality building blocks in Jeffrey Okudah, Jamie Collins Sr., Tracy Walker and more.

Campbell, if the deal is completed, will now be tasked with getting the most out of this team while putting the Lions back on track toward playoff contention.

New Orleans Saints tight ends coach and assistant head coach Dan Campbell is reportedly in the driver's seat when it comes to landing the Detroit Lions' head coaching job.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Campbell is the favorite to be the Lions' new head coach, although he can't interview in person until the Saints' season ends, meaning the sides are in a holding pattern currently.

It is possible the Saints' season could come to an end Sunday night when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.

Campbell has served in that role with the Saints since 2016. Before that, he spent six seasons with the Miami Dolphins in various roles, but primarily as tight ends coach.

After the Dolphins fired head coach Joe Philbin in 2015, Campbell took over as Miami's interim head coach and went 5-7.

Prior to becoming an NFL coach, Campbell spent 11 years in the league as a tight end with the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Lions and Saints.

Campbell, who was a third-round pick out of Texas A&M in 1999, appeared in 114 career regular-season games and finished with 91 receptions for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Although he didn't play for the Saints in 2009 and spent the entire year on injured reserve, he received a Super Bowl ring, as the Saints won it all that year.

Campbell spent three of his 11 NFL seasons with the Lions, so there is already familiarity between him and the organization.

If Campbell does land the job, he will take over a team that went 5-11 in 2020 and hasn't reached the playoffs since 2016.

Detroit is stuck in a difficult NFC North with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears all experiencing more success than them in recent years.

The Lions do have some talented, young players, however, including running back D'Andre Swift, tight end T.J. Hockenson and cornerback Jeff Okudah, among others.

Perhaps the biggest question mark is whether the Lions intend to move forward with 32-year-old veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford, who is the franchise's all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns.

Campbell would bring a winning pedigree with him to Detroit, as the Saints have won the NFC South in each of the past four seasons.

The Detroit Lions and Todd Bowles canceled an interview they had scheduled for Friday. 

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported earlier in the day that Bowles was going to speak with Lions management about their head-coaching vacancy. 

Before the interview took place, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported both sides decided to cancel the interview after "indications" seemed to signal that Bowles wouldn't be getting the job anyway. 

Albert Breer of The MMQB reported earlier this week that Bowles was going to be the Lions' final interviewee in their first round of meetings with potential head-coaching candidates. 

Per Erik Schlitt of Lions Wire, other candidates that have been interviewed include Marvin Lewis, Eric Bieniemy, Robert Saleh, Arthur Smith and Darrell Bevell. 

The New York Jets announced on Thursday they've reached an agreement with Saleh. ESPN's Dianna Russini reported on Friday that Smith has received an offer from the Atlanta Falcons to become their head coach. 

Bowles has previous experience as a head coach with the Jets. The 57-year-old went 24-40 over four seasons in New York from 2015-18. He also went 2-1 as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2011 after Tony Sparano was fired. 

For the past two seasons, Bowles has been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator on Bruce Arians' staff. The Bucs have finished in the top six in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA each of the previous two years. 

The Lions fired head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn on Nov. 28 after a 4-7 start. The team hasn't made the playoffs since 2016 and hasn't posted a winning record since 2017. 

The Detroit Lions hired Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes as their new general manager after Bob Quinn, who'd held the role since 2016, was fired in late November.

Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported Thursday that Holmes agreed to a five-year deal.  

The Lions are heading toward an important offseason after missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. They haven't advanced beyond the Wild Card Round since 1991.

Detroit has several key potential free agents, led by wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr., defensive end Everson Griffen and kicker Matt Prater. The team may also consider its options with quarterback Matthew Stafford, whose dead-cap hit drops by more than $22 million from 2020, per Spotrac.

In addition, the new general manager will likely play a prominent role in the search for a head coach after Matt Patricia was fired along with Quinn following a Week 12 loss to the Houston Texans.

The entire situation creates a potential turning point for the Lions, which is probably why they decided now was the time to seek out new leadership for the front office.

Holmes was a longtime member of the Rams organization. He started as an intern 18 years ago and worked his way through the organization to become the team's director of college scouting, a position he's filled for the past eight seasons.

He played a key role in the Rams' draft preparations, headlined by the selection of defensive superstar Aaron Donald with the 13th overall pick in the 2014 draft, and he's set to become a general manager for the first time after also receiving interest from the Atlanta Falcons.

Now he'll be tasked with reshaping a Lions roster with more questions than answers heading toward 2021.

Detroit Lions running back Adrian Peterson has been ordered by a New York state judge to pay back $8.3 million on a defaulted loan, according to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic.

The 35-year-old initially took out a $5.2 million loan from DeAngelo Vehicle Services in 2016 with interest rates going as high as 16 percent. He defaulted on the loan twice after pushing back due dates multiple times and reaching settlements.

Peterson is reportedly unable to pay back the loan but has not yet filed for bankruptcy, per Kaplan. The total value owed will add $2,207.12 each day he does not pay, though that number will fall once the judge's ruling is officially filed because of New York law placing a cap on the ongoing interest rate.

Peterson was ordered to pay $2.4 million to Democracy Capital Corp by a Maryland state judge in 2019, per Kaplan. A Minnesota state judge also ordered him to pay the remaining $600,000 unpaid on what was a $2.4 million loan.

DeAngelo Vehicle Services filed its lawsuit against the NFL star in 2019.

"He has no defenses to us proceeding to summary judgment on the original principal amount plus the accrued interest," DVS attorney Jeffrey Reina said in the court hearing.

Peterson is coming off his 14th season in the NFL, a career that includes seven Pro Bowls and an MVP award. Including his $1.05 million salary for 2020, he has earned an estimated $102.8 million since joining the league in 2007, per Spotrac.

Despite his age in a demanding position, the veteran has said he plans to remain in the NFL as long as he can.

"Why not four more years?" he told TMZ Sports in June.

Los Angeles Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes is now the "favorite" to become the general manager of the Detroit Lions, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Minnesota Vikings assistant general manager George Paton signed a reported six-year deal with the Denver Broncos on Wednesday to become their new GM, taking him out of the running for the Lions job.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Holmes was doing a second interview with the Lions on Wednesday and that Paton "had been a strong candidate in Detroit."

Rapoport added that New Orleans Saints director of pro scouting Terry Fontenot is also a finalist for the Lions' GM gig. 

According to ESPN's Michael Rothstein, the Lions have also interviewed the following candidates for the position:

• Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds
• Saints vice president and assistant general manager Jeff Ireland
• Former Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff
• Former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith
• Former Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli
• ESPN analyst Louis Riddick
• Lions vice president of player personnel Kyle O'Brien
• Lions director of pro scouting Rob Lohman
• Lions director of player personnel Lance Newmark. 

Holmes has served as the Rams director of college scouting for eight seasons, helping to select key players such as Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley II, Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, John Johnson III, Tyler Higbee and Jordan Fuller.

"He's become a valued voice in our organization as part of our leadership team on social justice and diversity issues, helping us lead a diverse group of people," Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff said of the 41-year-old Holmes, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN. "Brad is one of the more valued voices we have in our building."

The next general manager will be tasked, first and foremost, with hiring a new head coach after the disastrous Matt Patricia era. Under Patricia, Detroit went just 13-29-1. The new GM will also have the No. 7 overall pick and will have to decide whether it's time for Detroit to pursue a long-term replacement at quarterback for Matthew Stafford, who turns 33 on Feb. 7. 

It's a crucial hire for Detroit at a key point in the team's rebuild. 

The Detroit Lions are seeking a replacement for general manager Bob Quinn, and Minnesota Vikings assistant GM George Paton is considered a favorite for the gig.

According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Paton "has emerged as a prime candidate for the opening." 

Paton just wrapped up his 14th season with the Vikings. He previously worked with the Miami Dolphins as the team's director of pro personnel from 2001 to '06 and began his career with the Chicago Bears, where he was the assistant director of pro personnel in 2000. 

Paton has also been linked to the GM opening with the Denver Broncos, with multiple reports suggesting he could land the job if he wants to. 

Mike Klis of Denver's KUSA-TV wrote Paton is "the Broncos' GM candidate to beat," while the Denver Gazette's Woody Paige reported that the job is down to Paton or Chicago Bears assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly. 

But Paton has a connection in Detroit, where Chris Spielman is serving as a special adviser for the GM search. Spielman is the brother of Vikings GM Rick Spielman. He also has family ties in Denver—his nephew, Rob Paton, is a Broncos scout, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano (h/t VikingsWire). 

This offseason is not the first in which Paton has entertained the option to leave Minnesota, though according to Fowler and Graziano, this year could be the one that sees him take the leap.

According to Breer, Paton has also been linked to Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, though it's unclear when "Fitzgerald would be ready to make the leap to the NFL."  

Detroit Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell will interview for the full-time role Tuesday, team president Rod Wood confirmed to reporters.

Wood also broke down what the team is looking for in the head coach:

Bevell took over in Week 13 for Matt Patricia, who was fired after a 4-7 start and a 13-29-1 record in three years.

Detroit beat the Chicago Bears in Bevell's first game at the helm, but the squad lost the next four games to end the year 5-11.

Bevell, who will turn 51 on Wednesday, was the team's offensive coordinator before becoming the interim coach, taking over the former position in 2019.

The unit ranked 20th in the NFL in points scored this season after ranking 18th in the category last year.

Before his time in Detroit, Bevell spent 12 years as an offensive coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks. He helped the 2013 Seahawks take home a Super Bowl title behind one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL, while the 2015 team ranked in the top five in both points scored and yards gained.

His tenure with the Vikings was highlighted by the 2009 squad that reached the NFC title game behind Brett Favre and ranked second in points scored.

The Lions have also interviewed former Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy.

The organization is looking to turn things around after four years without a playoff appearance and 29 seasons without a postseason victory.