The Hot Seat? You Have Got to be Kidding Me
Some NFL analyst just put Dan Campbell on a hot seat list for the 2026 season, and I need everyone to take a deep breath before we address this fever dream of a take.
This gem comes from Chris Brockman on “The Rich Eisen Show” during something called Overreaction Monday. The name should tell you everything you need to know. Brockman ranked Campbell third on his list of coaches entering the season on the hot seat, apparently because Detroit is only 2-2 in the playoffs under Campbell and he expected more NFC Championship Games by now.
“Year 6 coming up for Dan Campbell, can you believe that?” Brockman said. “And Detroit, only 2-2 in the playoffs. I thought we would’ve had another NFC Championship Game, maybe a Super Bowl run in them.”
Let Me Fix That Math for You
Here’s what makes this take particularly rich. Brockman is holding Campbell to a standard he apparently doesn’t apply to anyone else in the division. Kevin O’Connell is entering Year 5 in Minnesota and has exactly zero playoff wins. Zero. Matt LaFleur is heading into Year 8 in Green Bay with a grand total of one postseason victory since Campbell arrived in Allen Park.
The playoff record since Campbell was hired tells the whole story: Lions 2-2, Packers 1-4, Vikings 0-2, Bears 1-1. But sure, let’s put the guy with the best record on the hot seat because reasons.
Context Is Everything
Yes, the Lions underachieved. Missing the playoffs entirely last year was unacceptable. The Divisional Round loss to the Commanders still stings. But unless this team completely nosedives into irrelevancy and starts competing for a top-five pick in 2027, there is zero reason to think Campbell should be anywhere near a hot seat.
This is the same coach who produced the NFL’s best regular season record. The same guy who took a franchise that went 0-16 and turned it into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The same coach who has given this franchise four straight winning seasons for the first time in over 50 years.
Fighting the Same Old Narratives
Campbell has been doubted since he walked into Allen Park in 2021. He’s been called a meathead, a cheerleader, a guy who got carried by his coordinators. Now with Ben Johnson’s success in Year 1 with the Bears, Campbell has to fight off narratives that his former offensive coordinator was the real brains behind Detroit’s turnaround.
It’s nothing new. Campbell has dealt with this kind of skepticism his entire tenure, even while becoming the first Lions coach to make an NFC Championship in 32 years and setting himself up to likely have the second-most wins in franchise history by the end of 2026.
But here we are again, with analysts looking for reasons to doubt the guy who fundamentally changed what it means to be a Detroit Lion.
So Dan Campbell is on the hot seat because he only has two playoff wins instead of three or four? Because the Lions had one down year in what has otherwise been a historic run? Please. The only thing hot about Campbell’s seat is how warm it’s getting from all the winning.
Are we really doing hot seat talk for the coach who saved this franchise from decades of misery, or is this just sports media looking for clicks? Let me know what you think below.
