Former Lions Boss Jim Caldwell Interviews for New Head Coaching Job

Jim Caldwell

Getty Jim Caldwell coaching the Lions in Tampa Bay.

The Detroit Lions will be looking for a new head coach soon, and ironically enough, one of their former bosses is also on the job hunt this offseason.

Former head coach Jim Caldwell has been out of the game for a year, but he re-introduced himself in a big way this week by interviewing with the Houston Texans for their head coaching gig. The team revealed the news on Twitter following completion of the interview.

Famously, no former coach who has ever been fired by the Lions has gone on to have another job somewhere else. In this case, Caldwell could be the guy that finally breaks the long-standing curse. He could be in play for multiple jobs this offseason even if he doesn’t get hired by the Texans, and it will be interesting to see if any other teams bite.

Likely, this is just a start for the Texans in terms of their offseason plan, but it’s very interesting to see Caldwell being the first coach to work himself into the mix for a job interview. Many have believed he’s deserved it since being out of football recently following his dismissal in Detroit.


Jim Caldwell’s NFL Coaching Record

Caldwell wasn’t the best coach the Lions ever had historically, but he was the best in recent history statistically. Caldwell was famously 36-28 with the Lions which included 2 playoff births. Though Caldwell was 0-2 in the playoffs, at the very least he made the tournament which is more than Matt Patricia can currently say for his tenure, which started in 2018. As a whole, Caldwell is 62-50 as a head coach and has a pair of Super Bowl titles from his time as a position coach and coordinator.

During Caldwell’s time in Detroit, players loved him and continue to defend him for his work to this day. He built a pretty strong bond with the roster that some could argue was never captured under Patricia at all during his tenure with the team. Safe to say he could bring that kind of excitement from the players elsewhere.


Lions, Texans Competing for Coaches and Executives

This offseason, the Lions and Texans are going to see tons of overlap as it relates to their coaching searches as well as their general manager search. Already, the Lions have interviewed Louis Riddick for general manager just like the Texans did. Once the coaching carousel gets cranked up, it’s likely that there will be even more overlap between the sides considering the fact that both franchises are looking for a new direction at the same time. Detroit is also considering former Houston general manager Rick Smith for the same position within their organization.

Detroit and Houston are likely to go in very different directions when all is said and done in terms of the actual hires, but in the meantime, it’s fascinating to see the overlap between the franchises as they get their interview process going.

Caldwell getting a chance to interview in Houston is a fascinating first step within the coaching carousel.


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