| Detroit Free Press
When the Detroit Lions hired Matt Patricia after the 2018 Super Bowl, they got arguably the hottest name in the head coach hiring cycle that winter.
Patricia had his pick of jobs between the Lions and New York Giants, and at least one other team — the Arizona Cardinals — requested an interview.
Nearly three full seasons later, Patricia is on the coaching hot seat with a 13-29-1 record and .314 winning percentage that ranks fifth of the seven coaches hired that winter.
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Here’s a look at the rest of that year’s hires, and what’s happened to the other candidates the Lions interviewed for the job.
Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans
Record: 25-17 (.595)
How he’s done: No coach hired during the 2018 offseason has done a better job so far than Vrabel, who was believed to be the Lions’ fallback plan had Patricia gone elsewhere. In 2018, Vrabel was considered a bit of a risky hire. He had been a defensive coordinator for just one season with the Houston Texans, and an NFL assistant for just four. But he checked off every box as a leader and had the presence necessary to command a locker room. The Titans won nine games in each of Vrabel’s first two seasons, reached the AFC championship game last year and are tied atop the AFC South with a 7-3 record now. Most impressively, Vrabel has succeeded despite taking over a situation that other candidates might have avoided. Tennessee fired Mike Mularkey after making the playoffs and the Titans quarterback situation, since stabilized by the surprisingly effective acquisition of Ryan Tannehill, was in flux.
Matt Nagy, Chicago Bears
Record: 25-17 (.595)
How he’s done: Nagy has the same record as Vrabel, but the two have gotten there very different ways. The Bears surged to the playoffs in 2018 after trading for Khalil Mack to form one of the NFL’s best defenses, but have been fairly underwhelming since. They’re 5-5 this year and in playoff contention, but have lost four straight games and have underperformed on offense. Nagy inherited Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback, so the offense’s struggles cannot be pinned totally on him. But like the Lions’ defensive issues under Patricia, Nagy, Andy Reid’s former offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs, was supposed to bring a level of expertise on that side of the ball that has so far not materialized.
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Frank Reich, Indianapolis Colts
Record: 24-18 (.571)
How he’s done: Reich was the last coach hired in 2018, after his Philadelphia Eagles beat Patricia’s Patriots in Super Bowl LII. He got the job after Josh McDaniels had a last-minute change of heart, and after a successful 10-6 first season had to deal with the surprise retirement of quarterback Andrew Luck. The Colts went 7-9 last season, but thanks to one of the best defenses in the NFL already have seven wins this year and appear ticketed for the playoffs. As under-the-radar a hire as he was, Reich could go down as the best catch of 2018.
Jon Gruden, Las Vegas Raiders
Record: 17-25 (.405)
How he’s done: Gruden was the splashiest hire of 2018, given his Super Bowl pedigree, and the Raiders were the only team with the cache (and willingness to write a $100 million check) to lure him out of the broadcast booth. He got off to a slow start in Oakland, going 4-12 after a 6-10 season, but has improved steadily thanks in part a near-complete roster overhaul. The Raiders went 7-9 last season and are in the playoff hunt this year at 6-4 while navigating a move to Las Vegas. Three years in, this marriage looks like a success.
Pat Shurmur, New York Giants
Record: 9-23 (.281)
How he’s done: The Giants landed Shurmur as their consolation prize after missing out on Patricia, then dismissed him after two underwhelming seasons. The Giants traded Odell Beckham and benched Eli Manning during his tenure, and Shurmur had neither the success — a 5-11 season in 2018 was the high point — nor the personality to win over New York. The Dearborn native landed in Denver as offensive coordinator this season, where his Broncos have the league’s fifth-lowest scoring offense. He interviewed for the Lions job, but was considered a long shot.
Steve Wilks
Record: 3-13 (.188)
How he’s done: Wilks was the rare one-and-done head coach, and while no one would argue he got a fair chance to establish his program, it’s also tough to blame the Cardinals from moving on. Arizona hired Kliff Kingsbury, a long-time hot college coaching commodity, as Wilks’ replacement, took Kyler Murray with the first pick in the 2019 draft and is 6-4 in the highly competitive NFC West and vying for a playoff spot now. Wilks, who turned down a chance to interview for the Lions job in 2018, spent last season as defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns and is currently out of the league.
Others the Lions interviewed
Teryl Austin: The Lions’ defensive coordinator in 2017, Austin never was considered a legitimate candidate for the head coaching job. He’s now a senior defensive assistant for the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jim Bob Cooter: Like Austin, Cooter’s interview was one of convenience as he was on Jim Caldwell’s 2017 staff. He stayed for one season under Patricia, was fired in 2019 and is now the running backs coach for the winless New York Jets.
Winston Moss: The Green Bay Packers assistant head coach at the time of his interview, Moss was considered another long shot to get the job. He stayed one more season in Green Bay, and after being let go by Matt LaFleur, spent part of the spring as head coach/general manager of the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.