Denver Broncos Upon retiring from playing football in 2000, Lynn joined the Denver Broncos coaching staff as an offensive assistant and assistant special teams coach, a role he held from 2000-2002.
Jacksonville Jaguars Lynn then joined the
Jacksonville Jaguars as the running backs coach (2003–2004). He left Jacksonville after being switched to special teams coach following a coaching staff shakeup by head coach
Jack Del Rio in 2005.
Dallas Cowboys After leaving Jacksonville, Lynn quickly joined the
Dallas Cowboys staff as the running backs coach.
Cleveland Browns On January 26, 2007, with the retirement of
Bill Parcells as Dallas head coach, Lynn signed on with the
Cleveland Browns to fill their running backs coach vacancy.
New York Jets Lynn was named the assistant head coach/running backs coach for the
New York Jets on February 1, 2012, under head coach
Rex Ryan, and was subsequently interviewed for the head coach job in January 2015, after Ryan left. From 2009 to 2013, with Lynn as running backs coach, the Jets running game produced an NFL-leading 137.0 yards per game. In 2013, Lynn helped
Chris Ivory establish a team-leading 833 yards on 182 carries. On September 16, 2016, Lynn was promoted to assistant head coach and offensive coordinator of the Bills when
Greg Roman was fired. When asked what he wants his offensive identity to be, Lynn responded, "I want to play smart, physical football. I want to be explosive down the field... We're going to play a little bit faster and see if we can put a little pressure on the defense. Just execute." Lynn made his debut as
offensive coordinator against the
Arizona Cardinals, pulling out a 33–18 win. Lynn was named interim head coach on December 27, 2016, after
Rex Ryan was fired.
Head coach interest On December 30, 2015, the
Miami Dolphins interviewed Lynn for their
head coach position. He was the fourth head coaching candidate interviewed that week. Lynn also interviewed for the head coaching job with the
New York Jets on January 6, 2015, shortly after head coach
Rex Ryan was fired. Lynn knew the organization well and was extremely well-respected. In January 2016, Lynn was a head coaching candidate for the
San Francisco 49ers, but removed his name from consideration before a decision was made. Despite not taking a head coaching position in 2016, media insider
Ian Rapoport listed Lynn as one of his candidates in a good position to become a head coach. On January 12, 2017, Lynn was named head coach of the newly christened
Los Angeles Chargers and one day later the Chargers officially confirmed his hiring as the new coach.
Los Angeles Chargers On January 12, 2017, Lynn was hired to become the new
head coach of the
Los Angeles Chargers, the same day that owner
Dean Spanos announced that the Chargers were relocating from
San Diego to
Los Angeles. Lynn's hire was confirmed by the Chargers one day later on January 13 on the team's website. Lynn became the franchise's first
African-American head coach in its 56-year history. In
his second season as the Chargers head coach, Lynn led Los Angeles to a 12–4 record, earning its first playoff berth since
2013. The Chargers went on to defeat the
Baltimore Ravens in the
wild card round 23–17, before being eliminated in the
divisional round by the eventual
Super Bowl LIII champion
New England Patriots by a score of 41–28. Lynn would miss the playoffs in
2019, finishing last in the AFC West with a 5–11 record. During the subsequent offseason, the Chargers parted ways with
Philip Rivers, who had been the team's starting quarterback since 2006. In the
2020 NFL draft, the Chargers drafted quarterback
Justin Herbert of Oregon sixth overall, seen as an eventual replacement for Rivers. In
2020, the Chargers missed the playoffs and finished third in the
AFC West with a 7–9 record, winning their final four games of the season. On January 4, 2021, Lynn was
fired by the Chargers. He finished his Chargers tenure with a 33–31 (.516) regular season record and 1–1 postseason record.
Detroit Lions On January 23, 2021, Lynn was hired by the
Detroit Lions as their offensive coordinator. On January 10, 2022, Lions head coach
Dan Campbell announced the team and Lynn were parting ways.
San Francisco 49ers On February 4, 2022, Lynn was hired by the
San Francisco 49ers as their assistant head coach. Lynn gained the additional title of running backs coach when
Bobby Turner stepped away to address health issues. Turner returned later to share running back coaching duties. Following the 49ers' loss in the
2023 NFC Championship Game, the
Washington Commanders were granted permission to interview Lynn for their vacancy at offensive coordinator in February 2023. The position ultimately went to Eric Bieniemy; however, the following season the Commanders and Bieniemy parted ways and Lynn was hired for the role of run game coordinator.
Washington Commanders On February 15, 2024, Lynn was hired by the
Washington Commanders as their run game coordinator and running backs coach under new head coach
Dan Quinn. ==Personal life==