When the Detroit Lions brought in Dan Campbell as head coach, the move raised eyebrows across the league. Now, a few years later, it's looking like one of the most impactful hires the NFL has seen in recent memory. According to a comprehensive ranking of all 37 head coaching hires made between 2021 and 2025, Campbell tops the list-not because of win percentage alone, but because of what he’s built from the ground up in Detroit.
Let’s be clear: Campbell doesn’t boast the best record among his peers. His .571 win percentage ranks seventh among coaches with at least two full seasons under their belt.
But numbers alone don’t tell the full story. What Campbell has done is take a franchise that was flatlining and inject it with identity, culture, and belief-three things that don’t show up in the box score but are impossible to ignore on the field.
To understand the magnitude of Campbell’s impact, you have to look at where the Lions were before he took over. Detroit was fresh off a dismal 14-33-1 stretch under Matt Patricia and interim coach Darrell Bevell.
The team hadn’t won a playoff game since 1991. The roster was in shambles, and the fan base had grown weary of false starts and failed rebuilds.
Enter Campbell, and alongside new GM Brad Holmes, the Lions hit the reset button in a big way. One of their first major moves was trading longtime quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Rams for two first-round picks and Jared Goff-who, at the time, was widely viewed as a salary dump and a placeholder.
Fast forward to today, and Goff has played a key role in Detroit’s turnaround, while the rest of the roster has been almost completely overhauled. In fact, by 2025, offensive tackle Taylor Decker is the only significant piece remaining from the team Campbell inherited.
This wasn’t a quick fix. It was a full-scale rebuild-painful at times, but deliberate. And it’s paying off.
What’s made Campbell stand out isn’t just the wins-it’s how the Lions are winning. His aggressive approach, particularly on fourth downs, has become a defining trait.
He’s not afraid to roll the dice, and that mindset has helped Detroit steal games they might have lost with a more conservative coach at the helm. Sure, those decisions haven’t always worked out, but more often than not, they’ve tilted the field in Detroit’s favor.
That aggression reflects a larger truth about Campbell: he coaches with conviction. His players feed off it.
The city rallies around it. And in a league where leadership and culture often separate the good from the great, Campbell has delivered both in spades.
Now, not everyone will agree with placing Campbell at the top of the list. Nick Sirianni, who comes in at No. 2, has already coached in two Super Bowls and won one.
Mike Macdonald and Mike Vrabel-this year’s Super Bowl head coaches-rank third and fourth, respectively. And there are other names with better records, like Sean Payton (.628), Kevin O’Connell (.632), and Jim Harbaugh (.647).
But what Campbell has built in Detroit isn’t just about the past few seasons-it’s about laying a foundation that could last for years. And that’s exactly what sets him apart in this ranking.
Even among the newer hires, there’s potential for movement. Ben Johnson (No. 9) and Liam Coen (No. 11) had impressive rookie campaigns as head coaches.
If they continue trending upward, they could easily climb the list. But for now, Campbell’s combination of cultural transformation, bold decision-making, and consistent improvement gives him the edge.
Perhaps the most telling endorsement of Campbell’s long-term value came in the form of a simple question: if you had to pick one coach from this group to still be with his team 15 years from now, who would it be?
The answer: Dan Campbell.
He’s not just coaching the Lions-he’s become the face of the franchise. And in a league that chews through head coaches at a ruthless pace, that kind of staying power says everything.