Detroit Lions tight ends coach Tyler Roehl will coach his final game with Detroit in the regular-season finale, and then he’s heading back to the college ranks to pursue something that’s been pulling at him for a while.
Roehl has accepted the offensive coordinator job at Iowa State, returning to a program and a place that already means a great deal to him and his family.
This isn’t a simple job switch. For Roehl, it’s about purpose, calling, and going back to a role he’s always felt connected to.
“I Want to Call Plays — That’s My Goal”
Roehl has made it clear that his move isn’t about leaving Detroit; it’s about returning to what drives him as a coach.
“This is one that’s very special to me. I want to call plays. That’s my goal. I did it for a long time at North Dakota State… and in this one with coach Jimmy Rogers, in Ames, Iowa, a place that I’m familiar with, a place that my family loved — we admired,” Roehl said via Lions OnSI.
Calling plays is where Roehl feels most alive professionally. At Iowa State, he’ll finally get that responsibility back.
A Move That Came “Full Circle”
With Jimmy Rogers taking over the Cyclones program and an opportunity opening inside a system Roehl already understands, the timing felt right.
“When everything started coming full circle, everything started aligning, and I just trusted my gut — talked to my family, my wife, and my kids.”
Roehl emphasized that decisions like this don’t happen in a vacuum. There’s real life behind the headlines, and his family was a huge part of saying yes.
Family Ties Made the Difference
More than football, this was about home, roots, and belonging.
“Not a lot of people see the background of these moves. It meant a lot to me for their support — their desire to be back in Ames — and we’re fired up.”
His family loved their time there. They wanted to go back. And Roehl listened.
Lions Lose a Strong Teacher — Iowa State Gains a Play-Caller
Roehl played a role in developing one of the league’s most productive tight end rooms, and he leaves Detroit with gratitude, not distance.
He’ll head to Ames not just as a coach, but as someone stepping back into a purpose he was already built for.
And if his track record as a teacher, leader, and tactician follows him?
Iowa State may have landed a difference-maker.
