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Jim Caldwell Interviewed with Texans for HC Vacancy After Bill O'Brien's Firing
December 21, 2020
The Houston Texans have interviewed former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell for their head coaching vacancy, the team announced Monday.
Caldwell was hired to work under Brian Flores as an assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach with the Miami Dolphins last season, but his role was downgraded to consultant when he took a leave of absence to address health concerns.
The Texans are looking for a replacement for head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien, who they fired in October after their 0-4 start to the season. Associate head coach Romeo Crennel is currently serving as the Texans interim head coach.
Caldwell, 65, amassed a 62-50 record in seven seasons as a head coach, having spent three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2011 before leading the Lions from 2014-17. In his first season as an NFL head coach, he led the Colts to a Super Bowl berth following a 14-2 season, but the team dropped to 10-6 and 2-14 in subsequent outings.
His Lions tenure was a bit more consistent, with an 11-5 outing in 2014 before a 7-9 season in 2015, followed by two consecutive 9-7 campaigns. On paper, he was the most successful coach in franchise history in the Super Bowl era, with a .563 winning percentage, but he was winless in two postseason outings and had just four wins against teams that had winning seasons.
When he lost his job in Detroit—with the Lions hiring now-departed Matt Patricia as his replacement—Caldwell served as a consultant for the XFL.
He previously worked as the quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Colts and Baltimore Ravens.
Before joining the Dolphins last season, Caldwell had interviewed for head coaching openings with the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, per NFL.com.