Jim Caldwell fired by the Detroit Lions after 4 seasons

The Detroit Lions made it official on Monday and announced that Jim Caldwell would not return as head coach for a fifth season.

It has been an up-and-down year for Caldwell. Before the season began, he signed an extension, signaling that general manager Bob Quinn had developed some trust in him. However, it soon became apparent that what was believed to be a multi-year extension was just a single-year extension with an additional year option.

Then, as the season progressed, it appeared the Lions had plateaued. They continued to struggle against the better teams in the NFL. Over the course of the season, the Lions would defeat only one team with a winning record—something that seemed to define that Lions under Caldwell. When Detroit failed in a must-win game on the road against a 5-9 Bengals team, it seemed like the writing was on the wall for Caldwell.

Overall, Caldwell finishes his Lions career with a respectable 36-28 record. However, he failed to win a single playoff game in four years, and it appears Bob Quinn wants to take that next step.

UPDATE: According to the Detroit Free press, Detroit has also fired offensive line coach Ron Prince.