Heralded as a transformative figure for a team down on their luck, this weekend’s NFC Championship game is the culmination of a ferocious re-build by Detroit’s coach. Join us as we take an in-depth look at the career earnings and current salary that have contributed to Dan Campbell’s net worth as Lions head coach.
Dan Campbell Background and Career Honors
Dan Campbell, who is perhaps best remembered by those of a certain age for having a playing career plagued by injuries, has more than made up for it as a coach.
A Super Bowl champ for New Orleans in 2009 who never received a ring for being on injury reserve, his 10-year career was largely spent as a tight end featuring for the Saints, Giants, Cowboys, and of course his current employers, the Lions.
Immediately after sitting out the entirety of the Saints’ Super Bowl-winning season, he was picked up by the Miami Dolphins as a coaching intern, eventually graduating to tight ends coach a year later. Prior to his departure in 2016, he got his first taste of being a head coach after taking up the mantle as interim head honcho for a year.
A four-year stint followed as New Orleans’ assistant coach to Sean Payton before being named head coach of the Lions in January of 2021. Famously, he gave a fighting speech to Detroit, promising his team would be the embodiment of the city’s spirit after five years straight years without a postseason appearance.
He said: “This team is going to take on the identity of this city, and this city’s been down and it’s found a way to get up. This team’s going to be built on, we’re going to kick you in the teeth….We’re gonna get knocked down and on the way up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off….Before long we’re going to be the last one standing. Any loss that we take, we’re going to feel the full pain from it and not be numb to it.”
A horror first season saw them go 3-13-1, but fortunes started to turn mid-way through the 2022 season as a 1-6 start was corrected by a startling end-of-season finish, eventually recording a 9-8 record; their first winning season since 2017.
Of course, this year has been springboard for which Dan Campbell and the Lions can hope to build on, and it is certainly not over yet. After tying the franchise record with a 12-5 finish, they subsequently won their first playoff game in over three decades against the Chargers, which was then added to in the Divisional round against Tampa Bay.
Not since the aforementioned season in 1991 have they reached the NFC Championship game, and Sunday’s road trip to Santa Clara is a momentous occasion for the city of Detroit.
Although San Francisco are firmly favored by NFL betting sites, the Lions’ underdog mentality has seen them bulldoze some formidable challenges this year.
It has also led to many leaning on the side of value in the latest NFC Championship public betting figures, as the Lions enter as +7 underdogs.
Absolutely the right man for the job
There is no better leader than Dan Campbell pic.twitter.com/UzuNqyR13z
— Coen Carr Triple4’s Enthusiast (@DeepWatersOfEL) January 22, 2024
Dan Campbell Salary and Career Earnings
According to Sportrac, Dan Campbell’s salary totalled $8.9m across his 10 years as a player in the NFL, along with just over $4m in signing-on bonuses.
Fast-forward to now as head coach of the Lions, Campbell is believed to earn in the region of $4m per-season. This follows a $1.5m-a-year contract as assistant coach for the Saints, where he spent four years.
Dan Campbell Net Worth
According to Sportskeeda, his total career earnings and current head coaching salary in Detroit have seen Dan Campbell’s net worth reach $3.5m as of 2024.
Campbell is set to earn $40m across his six-year deal with the Lions, so expect this figure to increase. Although his salary pales in comparison to some of the highest paid coaches in the NFL, bonuses and performance add-ons galore are likely to follow an-already historic year for Detroit.
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