Report: Packers interview ex-Lions, Colts coach Caldwell

FAN Editor
NFL: New York Jets at Detroit Lions
FILE PHOTO: Aug 19, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell during the first quarter against the New York Jets at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

December 27, 2018

The Green Bay Packers have interviewed former Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell for the same position in Green Bay, Pro Football Talk reported Wednesday.

It’s the first reported head-coaching interview made by any team this year.

Caldwell, who turns 64 in January, spent the 2018 season out of the NFL — serving as a consultant for the XFL — after being fired by the Lions last January. He went 36-28 with the Lions in four seasons, taking them to two playoff appearances and three winning records, including 9-7 in 2016 and 2017. Detroit has slipped to 5-10 with one game left this season.

Caldwell also went 26-22 in three years leading the Indianapolis Colts (2009-11), going 14-2 and reaching the Super Bowl in 2009. In 2012, he became the Baltimore Ravens’ interim offensive coordinator in December and promptly helped the team to a Super Bowl title, helping fuel Joe Flacco’s historic playoff run.

The Packers are searching for a replacement for Mike McCarthy, who spent 12-plus years with the team while bringing home the Super Bowl XLV title.

Interim head coach Joe Philbin, who has three-plus years of head-coaching experience with the Miami Dolphins, is expected to be considered by the team as well. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers supported Philbin’s candidacy for the job after last week’s win over the New York Jets, saying, “We want to play for Joe and give him the best opportunity possible.”

By interviewing Caldwell, the Packers have satisfied the Rooney Rule, which requires an interview of a minority candidate for head-coach and front-office executive openings.

The rule was amended this year, requiring teams to interview a minority candidate from outside the organization unless a diverse in-house candidate is on the recommended list from the Career Development Advisory Panel. The change was aimed at preventing teams from interviewing an in-house coach with an unrealistic shot at the job merely to satisfy the rule.

–Field Level Media

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