Former OSU QB J.T. Barrett Joins Detroit Lions as Offensive Assistant
July 23, 2022
J.T. Barrett probably isn't the most popular man in the state of Michigan after leading Ohio State to four victories in four tries over the archrival Wolverines, but the former Buckeyes quarterback has joined the state's professional team as one of its coaches.
The Detroit Lions announced Saturday they hired Barrett as an offensive assistant.
Barrett, 27, is best known for his college success.
He appeared in 50 games for the Scarlet and Gray and completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 9,434 yards and 104 touchdowns with 30 interceptions. He added 3,263 yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground.
Ohio State won a national championship and two Big Ten titles during Barrett's four years, though he was sidelined for the program's run through the College Football Playoff during the 2014 season after suffering an injury in the win over Michigan.
Barrett went undrafted after his collegiate career but spent time on the practice squads of the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also on the Seattle Seahawks before they waived him ahead of the 2019 campaign.
While he never made it as an NFL quarterback, Barrett was consistently praised for his leadership and will now look to translate that to the coaching ranks.
"I've been around a lot of really good ones," former college teammate Joe Burrow told reporters in January. "J.T. Barrett was the biggest one that comes to mind for me about understanding the mindset of how to play quarterback. I kind of always understood how to be a leader for the guys on the team, but he kind of took it to a different level for me and I was able to witness that."
Burrow is one of the best quarterbacks in the league for the Cincinnati Bengals, and comments like that surely stood out to the Lions as they looked to fill out their coaching staff for the 2022 campaign.
Barrett will likely be tasked with helping Jared Goff improve in a passing game that added wide receivers DJ Chark, a free agent, and Jameson Williams, the No. 12 pick in the draft, this offseason.