When the Chargers fired Anthony Lynn as their head coach in January, Lynn planned to take a break.
But then Dan Campbell became the Lions head coach and called him. That changed things.
During an appearance on the “Compas on the Beat” podcast, Lynn told Gilbert Manzano and Fernando Ramirez that the opportunity to work with Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — both of whom he coached with the Cowboys in 2005 — was too good to pass up.
“I got to know those two very well. They handled themselves like coaches as players. And so because coach [Bill] Walsh kind of picked me out and sat me aside and talked to me about coaching and it worked, I try to do the same thing with current players,” Lynn said. “I just helped plant that seed — when you’re done playing, that’s something I think you should do. And I did that with Dan and Aaron Glenn.
“And I was actually going to sit this year out, but when they called, I had to go because I wanted to be a part of that. I knew it was going to be special.”
Lynn was also reportedly a candidate to become the Seahawks offensive coordinator over the offseason. But he was strongly leaning toward taking the year off before Campbell wanted to bring him in.
“I just think given I’ve been on the sidelines since I was six years old — I have not had a break since I was six years old, literally every single fall,” Lynn said. “And I really had in my mind that I was going to take a gap year, man. Travel a little bit, go see some other teams, visit some of the coaches I knew, see how they’re doing things. I had made my mind to sit out. But then when Dan called, that changed everything. But out of respect, I did go talk with a couple other coaches. And those are guys that have helped me in my career on the way up, so I owed them that. But it just felt right in Detroit.”
Lynn now has the chance to elevate an offense on a team that’s beginning a new era under Campbell and General Manager Brad Holmes.