The Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell, but defensive coordinator Teryl Austin remains under contract so the team can block him from interviewing for the same job with another team.
They didn’t stand in the way of such an interview with the Bengals, but the response was a little different for a request closer to home. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Friday that the Packers want to interview Austin to fill the defensive coordinator spot that opened when Dom Capers was fired and updated that report a short time later to reflect Detroit’s rejection of that request.
Austin interviewed with the Lions for their head coaching job, but the fact that he’s interviewing for at least one other coordinator position suggests he’s not a frontrunner for the position. There’s a good chance he’ll be let out of his contract once the team does hire a head coach, but the Packers opportunity might not still be there.
Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been mentioned as a possible candidate in Green Bay, but he’s in the same boat as Austin when it comes to being under contract while the team sorts out their next head coach.
