Lions fire OC John Morton after missing playoffs

After missing the NFL playoffs for the first time in three seasons, the Detroit Lions have decided to fire offensive coordinator John Morton, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic.

“NEWS: The Lions are parting ways with OC Johnny Morton, per source. After coming in to replace Ben Johnson, Detroit moves on after just one season from the veteran assistant,” Russini shared via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

Morton lasted just one season in the position with the Lions, who finished the 2025 NFL season third in the NFC North standings with a 9-8 record.

Detroit is moving on from Morton despite having one of the most prolific offenses in the league in the 2025 NFL campaign. The Lions finished the season tied for fourth overall with Josh Allen and the playoff-bound Buffalo Bills with an average of 28.3 points per game. The Lions were also fifth in the regular season with 373.2 total yards per outing

Morton was hired by the Lions in 2025 with big shoes to fill, as he was the replacement for Ben Johnson, who left Detroit to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears. His fate with Detroit could have also been foreshadowed earlier in the season when Lions head coach Dan Campbell took over the play-calling duties for the remainder of the season following the team’s Week 9 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

The 56-year-old Morton served as a senior offensive assistant for the Lions in his first stint with the team in 2022. He took his talents to the Denver Broncos as a pass game coordinator from 2023 to 2024 before coming back to Detroit in 2025.