After their careers in the NFL, many Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves coaching in the NFL, and former quarterback Mark Brunell has decided to join that mix. Earlier this week it was announced that he agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions to become their quarterbacks coach. He’ll now be one of many assistants under the Lions’ new head coach Dan Campbell, who had previously been with the New Orleans Saints.
Earlier this morning, Mark Brunell (@M_Brunell8) was announced as the @Lions' QBs coach.
A 3-time Pro Bowler, Brunell holds nearly every major passing record in Jaguars history.
He's mentored QBs at the last 5 #NFL Combines and has been involved with the @NFLLegends Community. pic.twitter.com/0tDr07OIgS
— Detroit Lions PR (@LionsPR) January 29, 2021
Brunell, 50, was serving as an analyst for WJXT of Jacksonville and also was the head coach of Episcopal’s high school football program before getting the call to the NFL. However, Brunell felt it was time for a change of scenery and will join his former Saints teammate in Campbell, who was named the Lions coach on Jan. 20.
“What drew me to this job was an opportunity to work with our head coach, Dan Campbell. Dan and I were teammates with the New Orleans Saints in 2009, our Super Bowl year,” Brunell said this week.
“[We] kept in close contact. He’s a friend of mine. I respect him as a person, respect him as a coach, and just really always kept in touch. And when he reached out not too long ago to ask if I would be interested in coaching with him, I said, ‘absolutely.’ And and so it was really about the relationship that I that I have with with our new head coach up here.”
Brunell will bring plenty of NFL experience to the table after spending 19 seasons in the league. Of course, his most notable run came in Jacksonville, where he spent nine seasons. As a result of his long tenure with the Jags, he is currently their leader in passing yards with 25,698 to his name.
Brunell was drafted by the Green Bay Packers (No. 118 overall selection) in 1993. He was traded to the Jags in 1995 and also spent time with the Washington Football Team, Saints, and New York Jets, respectively.