The last time Dan Campbell spoke at a podium, national media challenged the idea of him being the head coach of the Detroit Lions, let alone a coach at all. 

Well, that was then, and this is now.

Earlier today, the Lions’ new head coach spoke with the media regarding several hot topics on the franchise’s near and distant future. While Campbell said quite a mouthful, his transparency was the brightest spot of the media session. 

That was until he discussed the future of Kenny Golladay.

When asked about Golladay’s future with the Lions, Campbell was pretty coy on which direction the franchise would head. Instead, he relied on his sense of humor before changing subjects, something he even admitted to doing shortly after.

“Well, I would love to be franchised,” said Campbell. “That would be nice because that’s a pretty good little chunk right now.”

“Look, all these things will be coming down the road before March 17, obviously. Look, we’ve had dialogue. We’ve talked back and forth. Brad (Holmes) and I have talked about this. I mean, we’ve gone every scenario you could go down, believe it or not, on everybody. How does this move here affect this move? And so, I don’t want to go that far into that.”

Lions GM Brad Holmes also spoke on Golladay’s status.

“There’s also been no debate that Kenny’s been at the forefront of our mind in terms of making sure that we make the best possible decision for not only the Lions but for Kenny,” said Holmes.

Retaining Golladay is a top priority for the Lions heading into the offseason. Despite injuries limiting Golladay’s 2020 campaign to five games, the NFL’s website placed him in the top 15 on a list of the 101 most coveted free agents. Last December, Golladay stated that he was interested in a long-term deal with the Lions. At the time, however, he was unsure of their direction. 

In 2019, Golladay, 26, had his breakout year, catching 65 passes for 1,190 and a league-leading 11 receiving touchdowns; earning him Pro Bowl honors.