Dan Campbell Steps Away From Lions Camp to Honor Mentor Drew Brees at Hall of Fame Induction
Dan Campbell didn’t miss it. As the Detroit Lions push through training camp with Super Bowl-level expectations, their head coach carved out time to watch someone who shaped his coaching career get enshrined in Canton.
Drew Brees entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 induction class, and Campbell was there for it. Campbell spent five seasons, from 2016 to 2020, as an assistant coach on Brees’s New Orleans Saints before taking over as Lions head coach in 2021.
ESPN’s Eric Woodyard posted on X: “Lions HC Dan Campbell called it ‘refreshing to stand in the presence of greatness’ after attending the HOF induction for Drew Brees. ‘It was special,’ he said”
#Lions HC Dan Campbell called it "refreshing to stand in the presence of greatness" after attending the HOF induction for Drew Brees. "It was special," he said.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) August 9, 2026
A Mentorship That Went Both Ways
The relationship wasn’t one-directional. When Campbell took the Lions job in 2021, Brees was among those who vouched for him publicly, per ESPN. “He knows when to kind of loosen up and have fun,” Brees said at the time. “He’s a guy who played a long time, so he’s got a level of respect coming from guys for how he played — he’s a tough, physical guy.”
Brees pointed specifically to Campbell’s ability to connect with players as a former player himself, calling him someone “you want to follow” and someone who’d “be honest with you.”
Four years later, that read on Campbell has largely held up. He’s led Detroit to multiple winning seasons and an NFC Championship Game appearance, turning a franchise long defined by losing into one of the league’s more respected build-outs. The Brees endorsement looks less like a courtesy quote in hindsight and more like an early, accurate scouting report.
