Jim Caldwell’s time in Detroit may be up, but that does not mean his days of coaching football are. The NFL loves recycling coaches from coordinators to head coach and back. Take a look at Jim Schwartz for example, who is back to coordinating a Super Bowl contending defense in Philly. And just like Schwartz, Caldwell will likely get a chance to prove himself again sooner rather than later.
Recently, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Patriots linebacker coach Brian Flores has now been interviewed twice for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching vacancy. Schefter also reported that were he to get the job he would look to Jim Caldwell to operate the offense.
Arizona wants to interview Patriots’ LB coach Brian Flores a second time for Cardinals’ HC job, per sources. If Flores gets the job, he would like to bring former Lions’ HC Jim Caldwell as his offensive coordinator, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 21, 2018
Caldwell, who is 63 years old, has been coaching in the NFL since 2001. In that time he has stayed on the offensive side of the ball before ultimately becoming a head coach. Caldwell’s last offensive coordinator gig was in 2013 with the Baltimore Ravens.
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Were he to land with the Arizona Cardinals, Caldwell would be walking into an interesting situation. Carson Palmer is an aging and often injured quarterback while the receiving core is relatively young and unproven except for the aging Hall of Famer, Larry Fitzgerald. He would be gifted with something that was incredibly elusive during his time in Detroit, a star running back. David Johnson is one of the best rushers in the league and both running and receiving the ball.
All in all, this is great for Caldwell who was an absolute stand up guy as well as a relatively successful football coach. The bad news in this report for the Lions is Brian Flores would have made a great defensive coordinator here in Detroit. Flores has successfully worked with Matt Patricia to put together a Super Bowl worthy defense for over a decade now in New England. With Patricia expected to take the Lions head coaching vacancy, and Teryl Austin leaving for Cincinnati, Patricia will have to find someone to coordinate the defensive side of the ball.
