The Detroit Lions have their new offensive coordinator.
John Morton, formerly the Denver Broncos’ pass game coordinator, has been tabbed as the team’s replacement for Ben Johnson. Dan Campbell brings Morton back to Detroit, as he worked with the team in 2022.
Here are five things to know about Morton ahead of the start of his first year as Lions offensive coordinator.
Michigan roots
Morton originally hails from Rochester Hills, and attended Avondale High School. He would wind up playing wide receiver in college, first at Grand Rapids Community College and then at Western Michigan.
In 1991, he caught 39 passes for 588 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos. The following year, Morton once again finished with 39 catches for 690 yards and five touchdowns. He would go undrafted in the 1993 NFL Draft, and played professionally for four years.
He bounced around NFL practices squads, spending time with the Raiders, Packers and Jaguars along with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL and the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League. His professional playing career ended in 1997, when he started his coaching journey.
Previous influences
Morton began his career as an offensive assistant with the Raiders under Jon Gruden, who was one of several key influences on his coaching career. He worked with Gruden through his departure in 2001, and he remained with the Raiders through 2004 by which time he had been promoted to tight ends coach.
The pair would work together on two separate occasions, as they reunited in 2019 when Gruden returned to the Raiders.
Morton comes to Detroit from Denver, where he has spent the last two seasons under one of Campbell’s mentors in Sean Payton. Their two years together in Denver is the third time that Payton and Morton have worked together, as they did so first from 2006 and later 2015-16, both times with the Saints.
His expertise is also influenced by Jim Harbaugh. He worked for Harbaugh for a year at the University of San Diego, then would reconnect with him for four seasons when Harbaught took over as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
Prior coordinator experience
Morton has experience as an offensive coordinator, as he was the Jets’ offensive coordinator for the 2017 season. That year, the Jets went 5-11 and the offense averaged 18.6 ponts per game, which ranked 24th in the league.
That year, the Jets featured 38-year-old Josh McCown as their starting quarterback. McCown threw for a career-high in passing yards in his season under Morton, and running back Bilal Powell notched a career-high in rushing yards. Morton was fired at the conclusion of that season.
In addition to his time with the Jets, he was also the offensive coordinator at USC for two seasons, from 2009-10, with one season under Pete Carroll and one under Lane Kiffin.
Wide receiver background
Morton’s primary position of experitise has been with the wide receivers. During his time with the 49ers, spanning 2011-14, he coached the likes of former Lion Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss.
In New Orleans from 2015-16, he worked with Michael Thomas and Brandin Cooks, who both surpassed 1,000 yards in 2016.
Now, Morton will get to work with the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams as he develops the Lions’ offensive scheme. His background’s impact on the team’s passing attack will be intriguing as he finds ways to utilize St. Brown and Williams among others.
MORE: Lions Hire John Morton as Offensive Coordinator
Back to Detroit
The 2022 season was a big one for the Lions‘ offense. Morton was with the organization as a senior offensive analysts, helping out behind the scenes during Ben Johnson’s first year as offensive coordinator.
That year, the Lions averaged 26.6 points per game and finished fifth in the league in scoring. They won eight of their last 10 games after a 1-6 start to finish with a winning record. Morton departed for Denver after the season.
He has been credited for some of the schematic elements of Detroit’s system, which has flourished in recent years and finished as the league’s best scoring offense in 2024.
Still, Campbell has had praise for Morton when his name has come up in the years since. It is evident that he has trust and confidence in Morton, and based on the comments he made about Jared Goff’s involvement and input in the search the same can be said for the team’s passer.
