Lions Expected to Hire Former Saints QB Mark Brunell
A former New Orleans Saints quarterback has apparently landed an assistant coaching position in the NFL.
Mark Brunell, who was the backup quarterback for the Saints when they won Super Bowl XLIV following the 2009 NFL season, is expected to be hired as the new quarterbacks coach of the Detroit Lions.
Brunell joins the staff of new Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who spent the last five seasons as an assistant in New Orleans, and was a teammate of Brunell's with the Saints in 2009.
The 50-year old Brunell spent two seasons with the Saints (2008-2009) as the backup to Drew Brees, appearing in six games, including one as a starter, completing 15-of-30 passes for 102 yards.
In 2009, Brunell was an important member of the New Orleans special teams unit, serving as the holder on the Saints place-kicking unit.
Prior to his stint with the Saints, Brunell put together a long, successful run as the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2003) and Washington (2004-2007), being named to the Pro Bowl on three different occasions (!996, 1997, & 1999), while leading the NFL with 4,367 passing yards in 1996.
A left-handed quarterback, Brunell rushed for a career-high 480 yards in 1995 with the Jaguars.
A native of Los Angeles, California, Brunell also spent time with the Green Bay Packers 1993-1994 and the New York Jets (2010-2011).
Following his retirement from the NFL, Brunell served as the head coach and athletic director at Providence School in Jacksonville, Florida from 2013-2014.
Over parts of 19 seasons in the NFL, Brunell appeared in 176 games, including 151 as a starter, completing 2,754-of-4,625 passes for 32,072 yards and 184 touchdowns, while also rushing for 2,421 yards and 15 touchdowns.