The Detroit Lions have just finished two of their finest seasons in team history. Consequently, their coordinators and numerous assistant/position coaches were in great demand during the 2025 coaching cycle. Overall, Detroit needed to substitute eight coaches, who played a crucial role in assisting head coach Dan Campbell in establishing his culture.
One of the coaches Campbell was assigned to succeed was wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. During the last four seasons, Randle El has contributed to making Detroit’s receiver room one of the premier units in the NFL. As a result, Ben Johnson appointed Randle El as the new assistant head coach and wide receivers coach for the Chicago Bears.
Although Randle El was employed by Chicago a few weeks back, he had not publicly expressed gratitude to the city of Detroit for the previous four seasons. That altered Monday afternoon as Randle El shared an Instagram post reminiscing about his experiences with the Lions.
Antwaan Randle El Expresses Gratitude to Detroit in Sincere Message
Randle El’s Instagram update stated, The past four years with the Detroit Lions have been an incredible journey! Guiding the wide receivers was truly a privilege—particularly the 2024-2025 group. “My Guys” were awesome! Heartfelt gratitude to Sheila Ford-Hamp, Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell, the whole @detroitlionsnfl organization, and certainly, the loyal and dedicated Lions Pride. Concluding my message, a fresh chapter starts.
His farewell remarks indicate that Randle El had deep connections with his players and others in the organization. With that in mind, Randle El’s influence on the wide receivers will keep aiding the Lions in the future.
During the previous season, Randle El was instrumental in Jameson Williams’ growth, assisting him in achieving 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Even more significantly, he was a powerful advocate regarding behavioral and emotional distress. This was shown in Detroit’s Week 16 matchup with Chicago when Williams clashed with Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.
Randle El instantly took Williams aside to speak with him, and there were no further incidents throughout the game. This demonstrates the strong connection Randle El had with his players. This isn’t to imply that the new wide receivers coach can’t achieve the same level of rapport as Randle El did, but it will require time.
However, Randle El’s efforts and sincere farewell to Detroit are greatly valued.