When Dan Campbell arrived in Detroit, he pictured the finish line, the end of a parade down Woodward Avenue, the Lombardi Trophy in his hands. The Lions’ new offensive coordinator has long envisioned the same scene.

“Oh, heck yeah. I thought about it when I was coming here,” John Morton said Monday in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit. “Because I’ve seen it, I’ve seen it from a little kid, with Billy Sims, all the way up. I’m out and I see peoples’ faces and they’re just like, ‘God, I wish we would’ve —.’ I know, I know it means a lot. I know what this town is. It’s blue-collar, it’s grit, my dad worked for GM for 30 years, I understand what it takes. And it’s my job to make sure we get that done.”

Born and raised in Auburn Hills, Morton is returning to his roots and reuniting with Campbell after serving as an offensive assistant for the Lions in 2022. He played a key behind-the-scenes role that year in helping Ben Johnson design an offense that set the stage for Act II of Jared Goff’s career. Goff has thrown for the most yards and the most touchdowns in the NFL since; second in both categories is Patrick Mahomes.

As Morton said Monday, “One of the smartest things we did with Ben is when he took over as a play-caller, we brought Jared in and (asked), ‘What do you really like?’ … That was the process: Let’s find out what Jared’s really good at, what he loves, and then let’s build off that.”

When Campbell set out to replace Johnson this offseason, one of his stated priorities was “to make sure that Goff is comfortable, because he’s playing at a high level.” He said that Goff would have “a lot of input” in the hire, because he’s had a lot of input in Detroit’s offense. Morton spent lots of time with Goff in the quarterbacks room in 2022, “so I have a feel for what he likes, and what he doesn’t, and that’s important as a play-caller,” he said.

Yes: Morton will call plays in Detroit.

“I think it’s an unbelievable opportunity, just to get another chance calling plays,” he said. “The first time at the Jets, that was an experience, I’ve learned from that.”

It’s Morton’s second shot at calling plays in the NFL, and his first real chance to show what he can do. When he ran an undermanned offense for the Jets in 2017, the quarterback was Josh McCown, the top two receivers were Robbie Chosen and Jermaine Kearse, and the leading rusher was Bilal Powell. Morton inherited a unit that ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring the year prior. It finished 24th under his watch.

“I just think that situation in New York, it was tough, because I was hired in and I had to keep the coaches there,” Morton said. “I didn’t know anybody there. Here, I know people, they know me, and we just finalized our staff. I was in on those interviews and can’t tell you how excited I am for the coaches we have here now.”

This time, Morton is taking over an offense stuffed with stars that just scored the most points in the NFL.

“They’ve already established a philosophy here, and it’s just my job to make sure I continue the vision of how Dan wants things,” he said. “And then we’ll tinker with things here and there and we’ll see how we can make it better.”

Morton, 55, spent the past two seasons as pass game coordinator for the Broncos under Sean Payton. He helped Bo Nix blossom last year — the rookie leader in touchdowns — and Russell Wilson bounce back the year prior. His coaching path has been shaped by sharp offensive minds at every turn, from Jon Gruden to Pete Carroll to Jim Harbaugh. He forged his way from Grand Rapids Community College to the NFL as a receiver through speed and sheer will. It’s no surprise when he says that “it starts with the work ethic — and we’re going to work.”

“We have to make sure we’re consistent in everything we do. We have to be disciplined, we have to be detailed, because that’s the way I was taught. We have to do those things. Taking care of the ball, that’s the No. 1 thing. We saw the playoffs, the teams that lost those games turned the ball over. It’s not about the X’s and O’s,” Morton said. “It’s just the simple details, taking care of the ball, making good decisions. It’s all those things, that’s where it all starts.”

The Lions were one of those victims of self-sabotage, burned by five turnovers against the Commanders in the divisional round. Four of them were committed by Goff. Johnson was a culprit himself, notably his trick play in the fourth quarter that ended in Jameson Williams throwing a pick. It was the pin that popped the Lions’ Super Bowl dreams, and let the air out of Detroit.

“As we get in here to our scheme evaluation, I want to know what players really like, what they don’t like. Let’s figure it out so it becomes us, the way we want things. Whatever it takes, we gotta do to win, but I want the players’ input,” Morton said. “It’s very important that I listen to them, and then we’ll formulate our own opinions and how we’re going to do things.”

Morton has followed a winding trail back to the start. This marks his ninth stop in the NFL since breaking into coaching in 1998, and the defining job of his career. The Lions have the pieces they need on offense to win a Super Bowl. They have always been Morton’s team. Elevating them is now his task.

“Just being here — home — I grew up here, family’s still here, I’ve seen a lot of the downs,” Morton said. “I grew up a Barry Sanders fan. But it’s really exciting for this opportunity. You don’t get many of ‘em, and I’m ready.”