The Detroit Lions experienced a major coaching shake-up this offseason, with both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn departing for head coaching roles. Despite this significant turnover, star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson doesn’t believe it will have much of an impact.
Head coach Dan Campbell anticipated these changes even before they became official. In addition to Johnson and Glenn, the Lions also lost several assistant coaches who followed them to their new teams, bringing the total to seven departures. Such extensive staff changes are uncommon in a single offseason, but the Lions have already moved forward, promoting John Morton to offensive coordinator—an almost internal hire—and elevating former linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator.
As expected, no one within the organization is suggesting these changes will cause a decline. Hutchinson recently appeared on The Squeeze podcast with Taylor Lautner and his wife Tay during Super Bowl week, where he acknowledged that coaching turnover is a natural consequence of a team’s success. He pointed out that when a team secures a No. 1 seed, losing key staff members to promotions is simply part of the business.
However, Hutchinson took a stronger stance regarding the departures of Johnson and Glenn, making it clear that he doesn’t believe the coaching staff changes will affect the team’s success.
“I don’t care who they bring,” Hutchinson said. “Obviously, keeping Dan is the most important thing for all of us, but when it comes to coordinators and position coaches, it really doesn’t matter. What’s crucial is having the right guys in the locker room—the foundation pieces on offense and defense. As long as we have that, it doesn’t matter who’s calling the plays. The playmakers are the ones who make things happen on Sundays. As long as we maintain our core, we’ll stay in this window of winning.”
While other players, like Amon-Ra St. Brown, have expressed similar sentiments about the team’s ability to adapt, Hutchinson’s blunt phrasing stood out. Saying, “I don’t care who they bring” and suggesting that “anyone” can step in and call plays may not have been the most tactful way to put it. His point—that players ultimately determine success—might be valid, but his choice of words could have been more measured. Given his experience with media dating back to college, one might have expected a more polished response in a public setting.
