Mark Brunell 1 of 3 candidates interviewing for Lions QB coach

With Matthew Stafford on his way out and a rookie quarterback likely on his way in, the Detroit Lions’ hiring of their next quarterbacks coach will be extremely important. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the first candidate for that job has emerged. Per Rapoport, former NFL quarterback Mark Brunell is interviewing for the job on Thursday.

Burnell is a three-time Pro Bowler with a 19-year playing career in the NFL under his belt. Since 2013, he’s been the head coach of a Jacksonville high school. In 2019, Episcopal High School went 10-2 and were ranked in the state for the first time in school history.

He’s overlapped with the Lions’ coaching staff twice in his playing year. Back in 2010 and 2011, Brunell was the backup quarterback for the New York Jets while current Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn was the running backs coach there. Additionally, Brunell was the backup with the Saints from 2008 to 2009, overlapping one year with Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who was a tight end for New Orleans in 2009. However, Cambpell missed that entire season due to an injury, so it’s unlikely their paths crossed much there.

According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the Lions have three different candidates for the quarterbacks job interviewing on Thursday, but the other two coaches have yet to be identified.