Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Larry Foote is interviewing for the Detroit Lions’ open defensive coordinator job after Aaron Glenn left to become the head coach of the New York Jets. Foote played at Michigan and was a Lion for one season during his NFL career.
He is the inside linebackers coach on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Todd Bowles. Foote has long been a candidate to land a defensive coordinator job, but the Lions could represent a sterling opportunity for him.
The 44-year-old coach has developed numerous high-level players in Tampa Bay while becoming a key member of Bowles’ staff from a schematic perspective. He is in his seventh season as the inside linebackers coach with Tampa Bay.
Foote was a fourth-round pick by the Steelers in the 2002 draft, and he stayed with the team through the 2008 season, becoming a two-time Super Bowl Champion. He returned for four more seasons with the team from 2010 to 2013. Foote got his start in coaching under Bruce Arians, and he coached with the Arizona Cardinals from 2015 to 2018 before leaping to Tampa Bay.