The Detroit Lions shockingly failed to make the playoffs after back-to-back appearances and head into the offseason searching for answers. One of the reasons for the playoff absence was due to the inconsistent offense under offensive coordinator John Morton, who took over for current Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
While Morton made his plea to the organization to retain him for another season, that did not happen, as the OC was fired on Tuesday. Neither Morton nor HC Dan Campbell was able to fully take advantage of Detroit's weapons and maximize the running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, putting more on QB Jared Goff's shoulders down the stretch.
Morton's firing, though, is one of several throughout the league this week, including within the Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization. As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out, Tampa Bay has fired OC Josh Grizzard, QBs coach Thad Lewis, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, defensive line coach Charlie Strong, and defensive backs coach Kevin Ross. Meanwhile, safeties coach Nick Rapone, 69, and senior offensive consultant Tom Moore, 87, plan to retire.
The Buccaneers are one of several franchises that are in search of new personnel, which shows that many jobs could be available on just one team, as about a quarter of the league is currently undergoing major overhauls
There Are Plenty of Opportunities for John Morton to Pursue
As the Lions begin their search for Morton's replacement, the former Lions OC should have no issues landing on his feet somewhere else. Even though Detroit struggled to find its identity and fully take advantage of its fourth-ranked offense (28.3 PPG), which was slightly below where it ranked under Johnson (33.2 PPG). They still showed glimpses of that explosiveness. It just did not all come together for the entire season and resulted in more of a one-dimensional approach for Goff and the passing attack.
While Morton, 56, failed to build on the success Detroit experienced under Johnson after its record-breaking 15-win season in 2024 and ultimately lost the play-calling duties to Campbell in Week 10. Morton previously served as a senior offensive assistant on Campbell's Lions staff in 2022 before becoming the passing game coordinator for Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos from 2023-24.
With the expertise Morton can bring in, he could be looked at as a resource for younger or first-time HCs. Furthermore, he could be someone the older HCs who are moving elsewhere trust more than unproven coaches, which should present numerous opportunities for him as he looks for a new destination.
Morton may not be the first coach that some teams target, largely due to his inability to take full advantage of the talented roster he inherited and help bring the Lions back to the postseason. However, with so many coaching changes around the league, someone as experienced as Morton is certainly worthy of another opportunity elsewhere. Which teams reach out and decide to give him a chance remains to be seen.