Anthony Lynn won't return as Lions offensive coordinator

Former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn joined the Detroit Lions last offseason to serve as offensive coordinator under first-year coach Dan Campbell, but things quickly went south for all involved during the fall. The Lions started out 0-10-1 before their first win, and there were rumblings back around Thanksgiving that Lynn "never really clicked" with quarterback Jared Goff. 

On Monday, Campbell confirmed what seemed inevitable and announced the team was parting ways with Lynn. 

"I felt like this is just best for both of us," Campbell explained, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "Look, he came here, took a leap of faith with us, under the impression that he would be calling the plays and so, it was not gonna go that direction again. That's not fair to him, either. So, I wish him the best. He's been a true pro. He works his tail off and he gave us everything he had, so I appreciate him for that. He's a pro."

Campbell took over as the team's offensive play-caller following the Week 9 bye and never handed those duties back to Lynn before Week 18. On Monday, the coach admitted that such a relationship sometimes "just doesn't work out the way you want, and that's really the best answer I can give you." 

The Lions finished the season with a 37-30 win over a Green Bay Packers side that largely rested starters during the second half of the contest to end on a high note and at 3-13-1, overall. 

"We really do appreciate it because he could, if he wanted to, have a bad attitude, and he didn't, and it was really cool to see from him," Goff added about his now former OC. "But in the future, a lot of what we did toward the end of the year was something that we'd like to see. Hopefully, the pass game continues to improve and hopefully I can be a part of that and hopefully the run game can stay on track and do its thing, but hopefully a lot of what we've done in the last couple games."

Per John Maakaron of Sports Illustrated/All Lions, Goff also said he's not worried about the franchise potentially using a first-round draft pick on a signal-caller because he's "still under contract" and "still gonna be here playing."