Jim

Caldwell

Caldwell, 68, will join Frank Reich’s staff as the Panthers look to rebuild in 2023 and beyond. He interviewed for Carolina’s head coaching job last month, and coached with Reich in Indianapolis in the early 2000s. With a long resume on the offensive side of the ball, Caldwell should help Reich rejuvenate a Carolina offense that has struggled mightily without a reliable quarterback under center. Caldwell could have a hand in developing a young quarterback if the team drafts a signal caller in the 2023 draft. His background includes QB coaching jobs at Penn State, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore.

NFL insider Josina Anderson broke the new about Caldwell landing an interview with the Broncos as they replace disastrous former head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Caldwell, who went 62-50 in seven years as head coach of the Colts and Lions, is one of several re-tread candidates who will vie for what could be the least attractive head coaching gig in recent NFL history. Five of the Broncos’ seven head coaching interviewees have previous head coaching experience.

Caldwell has so far only been linked to the Panthers this offseason. Last offseason he had two interviews with the Bears, and the season before that he interviewed with the Texans. Caldwell still remains the last coach to take the Lions to the playoffs and had plenty of success with Indianapolis before Peyton Manning’s neck caused him to miss an entire season. He makes an interesting complement to the mostly younger field of interviews the Panthers have that includes Lions OC Ben Johnson, Eagles OC Shane Steichen, Bills OC Ken Dorsey, and Giants OC Mike Kafka.

That is in addition to interim man Steve Wilks, who is getting a shot at the full-time job after his shockingly strong finish to the year. Reich and Caldwell will be two of the year’s hottest retread candidates, with Reich probably the second most in demand after Sean Payton. Caldwell has grown in estimation since the Lions floundered following his questionable firing, but his age (67) will undoubtedly give teams pause. We wouldn’t be shocked if both Reich and Caldwell landed gigs, however. It is feeling like a retread sort of winter after many first-timers flamed out in 2022.

Colts DC Matt Eberflus also completed his second interview with Chicago. Notably, both interviews included new Bears GM Ryan Poles. The Bears inked Poles as their GM earlier this week so he missed the first round of head-coaching interviews conducted by Chicago. Quinn is reportedly the favorite to land the Denver gig so one of the Bears’ three finalists may already be taken. That would leave Eberflus and former Lions HC Jim Caldwell in the running.

With Bill Polian driving a lot of Bears upper management internally, he’s managed to get former Colts HC Jim Caldwell and current Colts DC Matt Eberflus into the finalist stage. Dan Quinn is also expected to come in for a second interview. Caldwell has deserved a second chance for some time, as he’s literally the only coach that has taken the Lions to the playoffs twice since Bobby Ross. Caldwell wouldn’t be a sexy hire, but neither of the other two finalists -- if these are all of the finalists -- can credibly claim they’d do a better job with Justin Fields’ development than Caldwell.

The Bears also requested a second interview with former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell. Quinn is the hottest name on the market right now and is already considered the favorite to win the Broncos’ head-coaching vacancy. He will likely get to choose between multiple gigs. The Bears are making their push for Quinn, including him in their second round of interviews. Colts DC Matt Eberflus and Caldwell are the only other candidates to be called back to Chicago so far.

The Bears also completed interviews with Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett for head coach and Titans exec Monti Ossenfort for general manager. A candidate for the Texans’ opening last year, Caldwell has now met with Chicago and Jacksonville this cycle. Amongst the retread options, he is one of the better ones, but it would not be a franchise-changing hire. Caldwell’s job would be one more of stabilization.

Add Caldwell’s name to the growing list of candidates Jacksonville will interview in the coming days. Clearly making their rounds to ensure every type of personality is given a fair shake after the Urban Meyer debacle, Jacksonville would be wise to keep in the direction of an offensive-minded individual since Trevor Lawrence’s development should be prioritized above all else.

Jacksonville is reportedly also interested in interviewing former head coaches Jim Caldwell and Doug Pederson. Leftwich is the more exciting of those three options even without considering the success he had as a player in Jacksonville. Leftwich has led a top-five offense in each of his three years with the Bucs including with Jameis Winston under center in 2019. Even if it is not in Jacksonville, Leftwich has a good chance to land a lead job this cycle.