Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell reportedly turned down interview with Commanders

Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is in some demand for interviews, but he reportedly turned down an interview with the Washington Commanders.

Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell has surfaced again on the interview circuit this year, taking meetings with the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos this week. Despite being out of coaching since 2019, when he left his post with the Miami Dolphins due to health concerns, he is clearly still very well regarded and respected in NFL circles.

When he interviewed for the Chicago Bears head coaching job a year ago, Caldwell apparently brought with him a plan for an offense centered around quarterback Justin Fields. That made it easy for some to suggest he could be a candidate to become Chicago’s offensive coordinator after Matt Eberflus was hired as head coach.

Shy of getting a head coaching job, a team looking to nurture a quarterback or spark an offense could do a lot worse than hiring Caldwell as a quarterbacks coach or an offensive coordinator.

At least one team agrees with that sentiment.

Jim Caldwell turned down interview for offensive coordinator job

The Washington Commanders fired Scott Turner this week, so they’re looking for a new offensive coordinator. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network they reached out to Caldwell, who turned the interview opportunity down.

Caldwell apparently told the Commanders he’s only pursuing head coaching opportunities, as Garafolo reminded he has interviewed for two so far in this hiring cycle.

Turning down the Commanders when they reached out about their offensive coordinator opening, and a reporter getting it out there, serves as a message to any other team who might have had Caldwell on their list of offensive coordinator candidates. Thanks, but no thanks. The same certainly holds true for any open quarterbacks coach spot he might’ve been under consideration for.

Quickly approaching his 68th birthday (Jan. 16), and a few years removed from the grind of NFL coaching, Caldwell certainly has the right to draw a line with his employment pursuits. But not pursuing anything other than head coaching jobs also naturally decreases the volume of potential opportunities, and opens the door to him never coaching again. Maybe he’s good with that, or maybe he’ll come and refute Garafolo’s report.