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.”
