**Allen Park – Offensive Coordinator John Morton Reflects on 2025 Season and Future with Detroit Lions**
As the Detroit Lions’ 2025 season nears its end, offensive coordinator John Morton remains uncertain about his future with the team. However, if it were up to him, Morton would be back for the 2026 season.
Speaking to reporters Thursday ahead of the offseason, Morton addressed the challenges he faced this year—most notably being stripped of play-calling duties midway through the season. Despite these obstacles, he expressed a strong desire to return next year.
“I’d like to be here. Yeah. I love it here. I love (coach) Dan (Campbell), I love the organization. It’s my home,” Morton said. “All I’m thinking about is Chicago right now, so whatever happens, happens. I’ve been in this business for a while. I’m proud of the things that I’ve done. There’s a lot of things that I’ve got to improve on. Whatever happens, I just march on, just like I always have. That’s my attitude with everything.”
Morton, an Auburn Hills native, inherited big shoes when he took over for former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who had led the Lions to elite offensive performances for three straight seasons before moving on to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears last offseason.
Before training camp, the Lions’ offensive line faced turmoil when All-Pro center Frank Ragnow abruptly retired. The struggles that would characterize this season were already apparent in training camp, where the Lions’ defense appeared ahead of their star-studded offense. Adding to the instability, key offensive tackle Taylor Decker missed much of the summer, making it difficult to gauge the offense’s full potential heading into the regular season.
After a lackluster performance in the season opener against Green Bay, the Lions’ offense rebounded, becoming one of the most productive units in the league. Still, the offense never quite clicked. The offensive line’s issues led to an inconsistent running game, and the staff roster dynamic appeared strained due to the unresolved line problems.
Despite ranking third in points per game (28.9), the Lions’ rushing offense ranked only 15th, with seven games featuring 100 rushing yards or fewer. By comparison, from 2022 to 2024, the Lions had just eight games total with under 100 rushing yards.
The offensive line’s difficulties were compounded by injuries throughout the season, forcing constant adjustments. Morton acknowledged the offensive line struggles contributed “part of the problem,” but emphasized they were not the sole issue.
“It’s a little bit of everything, it really is. But it does start up front. If you can control the line of scrimmage and do that, it just makes everything a lot easier,” Morton explained. “I think it all does start up front, and losing our tight ends and stuff that’s part of the offensive line. But it’s not excuses. It’s not. We all have our hand in this. We have to be creative, just like in everything else, in the passing game and stuff. When a guy goes down, ‘OK, this guy’s got to step up.’”
Following Detroit’s 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings just after the bye week on November 2, head coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play-calling duties from Morton. Campbell cited Morton’s struggles to fully realize his offensive vision as the reason for the change but remained open to Morton returning to the role once he had a stronger grasp of the system.
Campbell’s debut as play-caller resulted in a 44-point explosion against the Washington Commanders. However, the Lions soon reverted to their inconsistent ways, highlighting that a change in play-calling alone was not the silver bullet.
Morton acknowledged on Thursday that while he hopes to resume play-calling duties—whether in Detroit or elsewhere—calling plays is “absolutely not” a prerequisite for his return.
“Whatever it takes, you know what I mean? I would love to do that, wherever that may be. I love doing it, I love putting the game plan together. I love all that,” Morton said. “I’m a team player. I’ll do whatever it takes at this point in my career. Whatever Dan wants, I do. I’m here to help him and help this team win. That’s what I’ve done.”
At 56 years old, Morton brings 22 years of NFL coaching experience but is only in his second season as a play-caller. His last stint calling plays was in 2017 as the New York Jets offensive coordinator.
Reflecting on what he’s learned since stepping back from play-calling, Morton has gained a clearer understanding of how Campbell approaches tendencies and strives to balance the run and pass games.
“Those are kind of the things I’ve got to work on,” Morton said. “We’ll look at the offseason and I’ll just keep going like I’m the coordinator calling plays and try to improve.”
As the Lions prepare for the offseason, all eyes will be on Morton’s future role and whether he can guide the offense to greater consistency next year.
https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2026/01/01/offensive-coordinator-john-morton-talks-future-with-lions-i-love-it-here/