Sources: Lions finalizing deal to hire Drew Petzing as new OC

The Detroit Lions are finalizing a deal to hire former Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as their next offensive coordinator, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Petzing, 38, will replace John Morton, who was fired after one season in the role, when the Lions finished 9-8 and failed to reach the postseason for the first time since 2022.

Petzing had been the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator the past three seasons under Jonathan Gannon, who was fired by the team after the season. This should be a playcalling role in Detroit for Petzing as the organization was in search of an experienced candidate during a thorough coaching search.

The expectation during the interviews was that Lions head coach Dan Campbell would relinquish playcalling to whomever was hired.

Campbell took over the offensive playcalling duties from Morton in Week 10, coming off a 27-24 upset loss to Minnesota on Nov. 2, but Petzing can help lighten the load.

Morton, 56, was brought in to replace Ben Johnson, who was hired as head coach of the Chicago Bears after the Lions’ record-setting 15-win season in 2024.

Detroit was still among the league leaders in total points per game (28.3) but struggled to find an offensive identity outside of home run plays this season despite having Pro Bowl selections Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, among other playmakers.

Under Johnson, the Lions led the NFL with 33.2 points per game in 2024.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes expressed that leadership was among the top priorities for candidates as they were in search of the team’s next offensive coordinator.

«There has to be leadership, there has to be detail-oriented, there’s got to be command of the room,» Holmes said during his end-of-season news conference on Jan. 8. «You just have to be able to know that there’s somebody that’s going to be able to dot every ‘i,’ cross every ‘T’ and make sure that nothing is compromised from a detail standpoint, from a standards standpoint from the start of the game-planning period all the way ‘til the end of the week.»