Lions fire OC Morton after 1 season

The Detroit Lions fired offensive coordinator John Morton after one season, the team announced Wednesday.

The Lions hired Morton last offseason to replace former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, but he struggled to take the team to the heights his predecessor did. Although the offense ranked fourth in points scored, Morton lost his play-calling duties to head coach Dan Campbell midway through the season.

Morton joined the Lions after two years as the Denver Broncos' passing game coordinator. He previously served on Campbell's Lions staff in 2022 as a senior offensive assistant.

Morton said ahead of the regular-season finale that he wanted to return to the organization.

Detroit marked Morton's second attempt as an offensive coordinator, both of which ended in one-and-done dismissals. He held the same role with the New York Jets in 2017 but was let go after the unit averaged only 18.6 points per game.