SB or bust? Lions’ Campbell unsure ‘what bust is’

Eric Woodyard, ESPNMay 23, 2024, 12:46 PM ET
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ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Padded practices haven’t even started yet, but with OTAs beginning this week and mandatory minicamp set for June 4, Lions head coach Dan Campbell has his sights set on bringing a Super Bowl to Detroit.

“I don’t see bust. I see Super Bowl,” Campbell said Thursday. “I don’t know what bust is.”

Detroit currently has the fourth-best odds (+1100) to win a championship, according to ESPN BET, after enjoying a storybook run in 2023 that ended in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers.

This offseason, the team has revamped its defense by signing former Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle DJ Reader along with drafting rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold (first round) and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (second round) in addition to a plethora of other moves.

“You’ve got to set yourself up no different than last year, certain things you gotta do to really make that valid and to make that a reality,” Campbell said about the team’s championship ambitions. “Ultimately, that’s what we want to do. Now to do that you better win the division.

“You’ve got to give yourself the best odds you can. You need to win the division; you need best seeding you can possibly do,” he said. “OK, well how do you do that? You’ve got to start with where we’re at now. You’ve got to go back to work. You’ve got to do all the little things, which to this point, our guys have done.”

The Lions have also secured their foundational pieces by agreeing to offseason extensions for Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, as well as massive four-year deals with veteran quarterback Jared Goff, All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell that’ll align them together for the future.

Despite interviewing for numerous head-coaching vacancies, the Lions were also able to keep offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn together for another season, which could be an underrated aspect to their success.

Detroit is coming off a season where they clinched their first division crown since 1993.

“I think it’s really beneficial for the players because you hear that same voice, and consistency has always been best in this league in my opinion, which you don’t see a lot,” Glenn said. “That could be other coaches leaving for other jobs, or it could just be sometimes people are there for a year or two and they fire everybody and they’re on to the next, but I think it really benefits the players.”