With more than two decades of NFL coaching experience, John Morton enters the 2025 season as offensive coordinator for Detroit.
Most recently, Morton spent two seasons (2023-24) with the Denver Broncos where he served as the passing game coordinator. In 2024, Morton guided the passing game with rookie QB Bo Nix at the helm. Nix completed 376-for-567 passes (66.3%) for 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He logged the second-most passing touchdowns, third-most completions and eighth-most passing yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. He earned two AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors (Week 10, Week 18) for historical performances. In Week 10, he became the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to complete over 80% of his passes while throwing for at least four touchdowns and 300 yards. In Week 18, he set a new franchise record for completion percentage (89.7%) in a win that secured Denver's first postseason berth since 2015. The Broncos finished the season with the third-highest completion percentage (66.5), fifth-most passing touchdowns (30) and the seventh-highest passer rating (94.1) in franchise history.
In 2023, Morton oversaw a passing game that ranked tied-for-fourth in the NFL in interceptions (nine), sixth in passer rating (96.7) and eighth in passing touchdowns (28). Broncos WR Courtland Sutton benefited from Morton's pass game, recording one of the best seasons of his career. Sutton became the first Bronco since 2014 to record at least 10 receiving touchdowns in a single season and was also 1-of-6 players in the NFL in 2023 with at least 700 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns after recording 59 catches for 772 receiving yards (13.1 avg.) and 10 touchdowns.
Morton's first stint in Detroit came as the senior offensive assistant in 2022. The Lions finished the season ranked in the top five in numerous NFL offensive categories, including fewest giveaways (15; first), fewest sacks allowed (24; second), total yards (380.0; fourth), red zone efficiency (66.2; fourth) and points per game (26.6; fifth). Detroit had five players selected to the Pro Bowl in 2022 with all coming from the offense (QB Jared Goff, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, T Penei Sewell, C Frank Ragnow, former Lions TE T.J. Hockenson).
Morton spent three seasons (2019-21) under head coach Jon Gruden and interim head coach Rich Bisaccia as senior offensive assistant with the Las Vegas/Oakland Raiders. In Las Vegas, Morton helped guide QB Derek Carr to the most prolific passing season by a Raiders quarterback in franchise history as he set a single-season club record with 4,804 passing yards in 2022. Under Morton's tutelage, Carr became one-of-four quarterbacks in the NFL with at least 4,000 passing yards in four-straight seasons from 2019-21.
Morton also tutored two first-time Pro Bowlers in RB Josh Jacobs and TE Darren Waller while in Las Vegas. In 2021, Jacobs became the first rusher in franchise history to tally back-to-back seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards to start his career, while Waller broke Hall of Fame WR Tim Brown's team record for most receptions in a single season (107).
In 2020, Morton helped oversee one of the most successful offensive campaigns in franchise history. While ranking top 10 in nearly all major offensive categories, Morton assisted the offense in producing a 4,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard receiver and 1,000-yard rusher for the second consecutive season after becoming the first offense to do so in club history in his first season in 2019.
Prior to the Raiders, Morton spent one season as the offensive coordinator under head coach Todd Bowles with the New York Jets in 2017. Under Morton's direction, QB Josh McCown completed a career-best 67.4 percent of his passes, a mark that ranked as the third-highest completion percentage in franchise history. He also helped bolster the wide receiver corps, with WRs Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse seeing career years in 2017.
Before joining the Jets, Morton spent two seasons (2015-16) under head coach Sean Payton with the New Orleans Saints as the wide receivers coach. This marked his second stint with the club after serving as offensive assistant/passing game coordinator in 2006. In his time overseeing the wide receivers in New Orleans, Saints receivers led the league with a combined 507 receptions and 6,682 yards. In 2016, New Orleans boasted two 1,000-yard receivers in WRs Brandin Cooks and Michael Thomas, despite both having under three years of experience.
Morton spent four seasons (2011-14) under head coach Jim Harbaugh with the San Francisco 49ers as the passing game/wide receivers coach. During that span, Morton helped WRs Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree compile 1,000-yard seasons. Boldin reached the mark in consecutive seasons from 2013-14 as Crabtree led all receivers with 109 yards in the 49ers' Super Bowl XLVII appearance.
Ahead of his tenure with the 49ers, Morton worked for USC for four seasons (2007-10) under head coaches Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin. He spent his last two seasons in Los Angeles as the Trojans' offensive coordinator/passing game coordinator/wide receivers after originally serving as a passing game coordinator/wide receivers with the team.
In 2005, Morton entered the collegiate ranks as a passing game/wide receivers coach under Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego. He mentored QB Josh Johnson to program records in completions (260) and completion percentage (70.1).
From 1997-2004 under head coaches Gruden and Bill Callahan, Morton worked in a variety of roles for the Oakland Raiders in his first stint with the team. During that time, he helped the club earn three consecutive divisional crowns from 2000-02, including a Super Bowl XXXVII appearance in 2002. Morton worked as a tight ends coach in 2004 under head coach Norv Turner after serving as a senior offensive assistant from 2002-03, where he assisted WR Jerry Rice to a campaign of 92 receptions for 1,211 yards and seven touchdowns.
Morton spent the two seasons prior (2000-01) in an offensive quality control/wide receivers role. In 2001, Morton's Hall of Famer WRs Tim Brown and Rice combined for over 170 receptions, 2,400 yards and a total of 18 receiving touchdowns, and were the only teammates in the NFL to both record at least 80 receptions, 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns.
From 1998-99, Morton was tasked with overseeing the offense in the capacity of offensive assistant/wide receivers coach, while spending his inaugural season with the Raiders in the personnel department in 1997 under owner Al Davis.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Morton entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 1993, where he spent time on the Los Angeles Raiders' practice squad from 1993-94 and the Green Bay Packers' practice squad in 1993. He also had training camp stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars (1995) and Raiders (1996). Following the NFL, Morton played two seasons (1995-96) for the CFL's Toronto Argonauts and World League's Frankfurt Galaxy (1997).
A native of Rochester Hills, Mich., Morton is a 1997 graduate of Western Michigan, where he played wide receiver for two seasons (1991-92). Morton received All-Mid-American Conference honors with the Broncos after spending two years at Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College. Morton has two daughters, Tierney Rose and Sage Marie.
