To keep a winning team together is one of the toughest jobs for any head coach, and Dan Campbell feels grateful that the team almost lost an essential part of their staff to an AFC franchise.

Detroit Lions Defensive assistant Jim O’Neil had a job offer From Newyork jets, as confirmed by the Jets themselves in January, as O’Neil is one of the eight candidates they interviewed for the Defensive coordinator post, but the Lions were able to keep him.

On Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine, press conference, Lions head coach addressed this and stated, “Fortunate to be able to keep Jim O’Neil, had an opportunity to go with the Jets, so that worked out good for us,” Campbell said. “So really, we got the staff still intact, just about cleaning up some of those little things.”

O’Neil’s experience as a defensive coordinator involves having good game planning and situational learning guidance for the team. Keeping him in the Lions now as an assistant head coach helps in maintaining their deep playoff run and their coaching connection with the team.

With his support, Kerby Joseph became First Team All-Pro, and Brian Branch went from corner to Pro Bowl Safety. By his work in 2025, he was named coach of the year by local media.

Even when the last season was kind of difficult for the lions but with O’Neil keeping the defence stable, even after losing stars of the team, He worked with eight starter safeties and turned them into reliable starter 

Why Did Dan Campbell Block Miami’s Interview Request?

Campbell wants to protect his coaching staff anyhow, as he knows the value of each member in it, which can have a great impact on the team's performance. Recently, Campbell rejected the request for an interview with the Miami Dolphins.

They were interested in the position of quarterback coach, with Lions offensive assistant Bruce Gradkowski in mind, who could be a great fit for this role.

With 11 years of experience and a rich background as an offensive coordinator, he has been one of the trusted coaches for Campbell. With his availability in the team, there is stability, and he helped the Lions to be on top three passing offenses last year. 

Campbell knows the importance of the coaching staff. He rewarded Gradkowski with an assistant wide receivers coach position in the Detroit Lions to keep his team together.

What do you think these changes will have an impact on the Lions' performance? Tell us in the comments and read more at the Detroit Lions Community!

Written by

Shreya Mishra

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu