The Detroit Lions announced on Saturday that general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia had been sacked.
According to a reliable source, offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will be the Lions’ interim coach, as reported by NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Patricia was fired two days after the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day blowout loss to the Houston Texans left them with a 4-7 record. Soon after the loss, Patricia was questioned about his job security.
During a Zoom call press conference on Saturday afternoon, Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp expressed gratitude to Bob and Matt on behalf of her family for their years of hard work and dedication to the company. “They’re both really kind guys, and we hope the best for them in their future endeavors. It’s clear that this season has not gone as planned. We intend to use the remainder of the year to evaluate every facet of our football program and select the most qualified candidates to serve as our team’s captain and coach.”
Lions ownership made it apparent to Patricia and Quinn that the team needed to be a contender for the playoffs going into the 2020 campaign. Following Week 12, ownership realized the writing was on the wall after dropping four of their previous five games.
Patricia spent more than two seasons as the head coach of the Lions, compiling a 13-29-1 record. Patricia worked for six years as the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots until being hired by the Lions in 2018. After serving as coach for four seasons, Jim Caldwell was let go by the Lions, and Patricia took over. While in Detroit, Caldwell had three winning seasons and two postseason appearances.
The Lions are tied for the fewest takeaways (43) in the NFL since 2018 and stand in the bottom 10 in terms of scoring, total, and pass defense since Patricia was hired. Under Patricia’s leadership, the Lions’.314 victory percentage was 27th in the NFL. With a minimum of 40 games coached, Patricia has the lowest career win percentage of any coach whose teams averaged more than 21 points per game during the Super Bowl era.
Quinn joined the Lions in 2016 as general manager. Under Quinn’s leadership, the Lions went 31-43-1 and, after finishing 9-7 in each of his first two seasons, have gone below.500 for three consecutive seasons.
Quinn selected five first-round picks, all of whom are still with the Lions, but none of them has ever made it to the Pro Bowl or been named an All-Pro. Kenny Golladay, a wide receiver selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Lions, is the lone Pro Bowl player Quinn drafted.
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