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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is expected to spurn any formal interest from Texas A&M as his alma mater is looking to replace Jimbo Fisher, according to CBSSports.com’s Dennis Dodd.
Dodd reported the Aggies made “backchannel communications” with Campbell’s representatives, at which point “it was made clear that Campbell would be staying in the NFL with the Lions.”
Campbell was mentioned as a potential candidate for A&M given his ties to the school, with The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman writing how he “epitomizes everything we suspect the school would want in a head coach.” However, Feldman also cited a source who said the timing was “horrible” in terms of him possibly walking away from the Lions.
Detroit’s success this year made Campbell a long shot at best. The team leads the NFC North at 7-2, and its coach would presumably want to see through the franchise’s first trip to the playoffs since 2016.
Waiting Campbell out would mean Texas A&M couldn’t fully bring him aboard until mid-January at the earliest since the NFL’s Wild Card Round runs from Jan. 13-15. As a result, the Aggies would technically be without a coach during December’s early signing period.
There may come a time when Campbell returns to College Station, where he was a player for four seasons. That time clearly isn’t now.
