Kelvin Sheppard confirms he declined other offers to remain with the Lions.
It’s no shock that Kelvin Sheppard had opportunities to leave the Lions, and equally unsurprising that he chose to stay.
When Aaron Glenn departed to become the New York Jets’ head coach, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard was the natural pick to succeed him as Detroit Lions defensive coordinator. So it wasn’t unexpected when he was quickly elevated to replace Glenn.
As Glenn’s exit approached, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported that Sheppard was a “hot name” for a defensive coordinator role. The full range of possibilities was certainly there, from stepping into Glenn’s role, following Glenn to New York, or landing a defensive coordinator position elsewhere with new staffs being assembled across the league.
Sheppard had a history with Dan Campbell before becoming the Lions’ linebackers coach. During his time with the Miami Dolphins in 2014 and 2015, Campbell was an assistant there. In an interview with Dan Miller of Fox 2, Sheppard shared that Campbell was “one of the first people who told me I should take a shot at” coaching and that “he saw it in me as a player.”
Sheppard once recalled how he worried about his hairstyle affecting his future coaching opportunities and considered cutting his dreadlocks. However, Campbell strongly advised against it, telling him to be true to himself rather than trying to conform.
At the time, Sheppard said Campbell’s advice “resonated” with him, and until he became a head coach, he didn’t want to work for anyone else.
“It means everything to me,” Sheppard said. “It’s the reason I chose to stay here over other opportunities. It would have been nearly impossible to take another job, no matter what. He told me, ‘Shep, looking ahead, there’s going to be a time when I won’t be able to keep you.’ I responded, ‘Maybe by then we’ll have a system where we can have two head coaches, and I can be your head coach B here.'”
“Because, man, I owe a lot to Dan,” Sheppard said. “No. 1, the faith he’s had in me since day one when I met him in 2014 as a player, and that’s carried over into my coaching career.”
