The Lions didn’t make any changes to their coaching staff the day after their season ended with a victory over the Packers, but there will reportedly be a new offensive coordinator in Detroit next season.
Albert Breer of SI.com reports the Lions and Jim Bob Cooter have agreed to part ways.
Cooter took over as the offensive coordinator in Detroit in 2015 and helped the team to back-to-back 9-7 seasons in 2016 and 2017. Things did not go well for the offense or the team under new head coach Matt Patricia in 2018, however, and Cooter sounded resigned to the fact that he’d be headed elsewhere in 2019.
Those reports of his departure also indicate that there’s interest in Cooter around the league. With former Lions coach Jim Caldwell getting mentioned as a candidate for some of the league’s eight head coaching openings, a reunion could be a possibility if Caldwell lands a job.
Even if Caldwell doesn’t get hired, it’s hard to imagine that Cooter won’t be part of our football life in some capacity once next season gets underway.
UPDATE 5:37 p.m. ET: The Lions have officially announced that their staff will be Cooter-free in 2019.