The Detroit Lions have their first known candidate for the defensive coordinator position: Detroit-native Larry Foote.
The first known candidate for the Detroit Lions ’ defensive coordinator position has been revealed. According to a report from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions are interviewing Larry Foote for the position .
Per Bucs reporter Rick Stroud, Foote’s contract is over in Tampa, but the Buccaneers would like him back .
Foote, a Detroit native, was a standout linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1999-2001. As an NFL player, Foote was a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Pittsburgh Steelers , and even spent one season with the Lions in 2009.
His coaching career dates back to 2015, his first year after retiring as a player. He spent his first four years with the Arizona Cardinals , coaching the linebacker unit before jumping to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers —where he’s been since 2019. In those first three years, he was the team’s outside linebackers coach, then transitioning to the inside linebackers coach in 2022 while also being the team’s pass game coordinator.
If Foote lands the job in Detroit, he’ll re-join the newest member of Detroit’s defensive coaching staff: defensive line coach Kacy Rodgers. Both Rodgers and Foote have worked together for the past six years under head coach Todd Bowles. Since Rodgers and Foote joined the Buccaneers, their defense has ranked in the top 10 in points allowed three times, and only ranked in the bottom half of the league once (29th in the regime’s first season).
We’ll see who else will interview for the job as more reports come in. As always, you can catch the latest Lions coaching news over on our 2025 NFL coaching carousel tracker .