Antwaan Randle El enters his third season with the Lions as wide receivers coach in 2023. He joined the Lions in 2021 after spending two seasons (2019-20) as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helping the team capture Super Bowl LV.
In 2022, Randle El oversaw a prolific wide receiver corps that finished top 10 in receptions (383), receiving yards (4,444), receiving first downs (228), receiving touchdowns (29), receptions of over 25 yards (35) and yards after catch (2,217). Under Randle El's direction, the Lions were one of five teams to have six players record over 350 receiving yards.
Since arriving in Detroit, Randle El has played a critical role in the breakout of Lions 2021 fourth-round draft selection WR Amon-Ra St. Brown. As a second-year pro in 2022, St. Brown earned a Pro Bowl berth as he tied the NFL record for most receptions (196) within a player's two-career seasons.
Randle El developed St. Brown into an impact player as only a rookie. He finished 2021 with 90 receptions for 912 yards (10.1 avg), both the most for a rookie in Lions history. His 90 catches finished the season for the second-most in the NFL, while he finished fifth amongst rookie in receiving yards. In only his first NFL season, St. Brown had six-straight games with at least eight receptions, the longest streak in team history and the longest for a rookie in NFL history.
During Randle El's tenure in Tampa, Tampa's offense ranked first in passing yards (9,471) and passing touchdowns (75), second in points scored (950), and third in total offense (12,511).
Working primarily with Tampa Bay's wide receivers, he helped WR Mike Evans post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and guided WR Chris Godwin (1,333) to his first 1,000-yard campaign in 2019. Evans ranked third in the NFL with 21 receiving touchdowns over the 2019-20 seasons and in that same span, Buccaneers wide receivers produced 55 receiving touchdowns, the most by any team's wide receiver corps.
As a player, Randle El originally entered the NFL as a second-round draft selection (62nd overall) with the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Indiana in the 2002 NFL Draft. In nine years split with Pittsburgh and Washington, he appeared in 143 career games (71 starts) and logged 370 receptions for 4,467 yards (12.1 avg.) and 15 touchdowns along with 438 rushing yards, 323 passing yards and six passing touchdowns. Additionally, Randle El added 4,316 yards and six touchdowns on kickoff and punt returns.
In Super Bowl XL, the only Super Bowl to be played at Ford Field, Randle El threw a 43-yard touchdown to WR Hines Ward in the fourth quarter, the final points in Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The trick play stands as one of the most iconic plays in Super Bowl history.
He entered the NFL following a noteworthy career at Indiana, appearing on the Hoosiers' basketball and baseball teams in addition to starring on the gridiron. Randle El was the 2001 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, left college as the FBS' all-time leading rusher for a quarterback, became the first FBS quarterback to account for 7,000 passing yards and 3,500 rushing yards and was the first FBS player with 40 career passing touchdowns and 40 career rushing touchdowns. The Big Ten's Freshman of the Year Award is named in his honor.
A native of Riverdale, Ill., Randle El was also drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round of the 1997 MLB Draft.
He is married to his wife, Jaune, and they have six children.
