Lions hiring former Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as their new OC

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2026-01-20

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Dan Campbell tabbed an experienced play-caller for his next offensive coordinator.

The Detroit Lions are hiring former Arizona Cardinals OC Drew Petzing as their offensive coordinator, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Monday, per sources informed of the situation.

After stints with the Minnesota Vikings (2014-2019) and Cleveland Browns (2020-2022), where he coached tight ends and quarterbacks under Kevin Stefanski, Petzing spent the past three seasons leading the Cardinals’ offense under Jonathan Gannon, who was fired following the end of the 2025 season.

It was a mixed bag for Petzing’s offenses in the desert. He led a top-eight offense in 2024 with a 0.3 EPA per play. However, a rash of injuries, including at quarterback and running back, and an inconsistent offensive line sank them to 24th in EPA per play in 2025 (-0.6). With zero running game, the Cards became a pass-happy offense with backup Jacoby Brissett under center.

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The Lions hope the 38-year-old play-caller can seamlessly take over an explosive offense that got off track in 2025. Detroit boasts a trove of weapons around Jared Goff, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams at receiver, dynamic running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of the backfield and, if healthy, Sam LaPorta at tight end. The Lions, however, will enter the offseason with questions along the offensive line, which dealt with injuries and inconsistencies this season.

After Ben Johnson, who coached with Petzing at Boston College before both made the leap to the pros, left for Chicago, the Lions brought in John Morton as their offensive coordinator. The experiment with Morton, who had only called plays for a year, didn’t last the campaign. Campbell took over play-calling after eight games, and the Lions fired Morton after a 9-8 season.

The hope in Detroit is that Petzing can get the offense back on track as Campbell’s club looks to return to the postseason in 2026.