Remember When We Almost Hired Robert Saleh? A Look Back at the Lions’ Coaching Search That Changed Everything
Here’s a fun exercise in alternate timeline hell. Let’s take a trip back to the coaching and GM search that landed us Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell, and see what happened to all the other guys who walked through Allen Park during that wild winter.
Because honestly, some of these names will make you go “wait, they interviewed WHO?” And others will make you wonder what could have been.
The Head Coaching Carousel We Almost Rode
**Marvin Lewis** got one interview and that was it. Makes sense. The guy had just wrapped up 15 years in Cincinnati and was doing some work at Arizona State. Since then, he was the Raiders’ assistant head coach in 2024, and that’s been the extent of his coaching career since this interview.
**Eric Bieniemy** was the hottest name that nobody would hire. Remember how every team kept interviewing him and then hiring someone else? Well, he went back to Kansas City, did stints with Washington and UCLA, was the Bears’ running backs coach in 2025, and now the Chiefs hired him back this offseason to once again be their OC. Full circle.
**Darell Bevell** was our interim coach at the time, so interviewing him felt more like being polite than anything else. He became Jacksonville’s interim head coach after they fired Urban Meyer the very next year. After three years as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator, he joined the Panthers staff as an associate head coach and offensive specialist.
**Robert Saleh** was the guy everyone wanted. Pretty much every Lions fan was screaming for this hire. Instead, he went to the Jets, got fired mid-season in 2024, and after a year as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, he was hired by the Titans to be their new head coach. Sometimes I still wonder about that timeline.
**Arthur Smith** was another hot name that cycle who ended up in Atlanta for three seasons before getting axed. He was Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, and here’s the kicker — we actually interviewed him again this offseason for our OC job. He said no thanks and took the Ohio State gig instead.
**Todd Bowles** is probably the most successful of the bunch right now. He’s got Tampa Bay humming and keeps getting them back to the playoffs. It’s wild how connected he and Dan Campbell have been over the years.
**Matt Campbell** is the most interesting story here. The Lions actually hired him. Both parties agreed to terms, then Campbell backed out to stay at Iowa State. This offseason, he finally made his move to Penn State. What if he had taken the job?
The GM Candidates Who Didn’t Get the Call
**Kyle O’Brien** was Bob Quinn’s director of player personnel. He didn’t get the job, Holmes didn’t keep him, he went to the Giants for a year, and hasn’t worked in the league since.
**Lance Newmark** spent 28 years with this franchise and stuck around until he took an assistant GM role with Washington. Still getting interviews for GM jobs but hasn’t landed one yet.
**Rob Lohman** didn’t get the big chair but he’s still here as our director of pro scouting. This season will be his 20th with the Lions. That’s some serious staying power.
**Kevin Colbert** had just finished 21 seasons with Pittsburgh, including two Super Bowl wins as their GM. He didn’t get the job, and he’s now a consultant for Colorado State.
**Ed Dodds** was Indianapolis’ assistant GM then and is still Indianapolis’ assistant GM now. Gets interviews every year, never gets hired. Some guys are destined to be the bridesmaid.
**John Schneider** was never really available. This was a “pay me more, Seattle” interview and it worked. He’s still running things in Seattle and was on stage with the Lombardi Trophy in February.
**Louis Riddick** gets GM interviews every year like clockwork. Everyone says he’d be great, nobody pulls the trigger. ESPN keeps him busy.
**Rick Smith** is Dan Campbell’s agent. Also Ben Johnson’s agent. Yeah, that’s weird as hell.
**Terry Fontenot** didn’t get our job but became Atlanta’s GM that same year. Got fired after the 2025 season and now does some media stuff for CBS and other networks.
**George Paton** also got hired that year, by Denver, and he’s still their GM.
**Thomas Dimitroff** was considered a hot candidate in all the GM searches that year. He didn’t get hired and is now a consultant for the Saints.
The rest — Scott Pioli, Jeff Ireland, Jerry Reese — are either doing media work, consulting, or out of the league entirely.
Looking back at this list, it’s pretty clear Holmes and Campbell were the right calls. But man, imagine Robert Saleh with this defense or what Arthur Smith might have done with this offense. The butterfly effect of front office decisions is wild.
Did we dodge bullets or miss opportunities with some of these names? And be honest — who were you rooting for back then? Drop your hot takes below.
