Former Lions head coach Jim Caldwell planning a return to NFL in 2019, expected to get head coach interviews

The Detroit Lions may be done with Jim Caldwell, but Jim Caldwell isn’t done with the NFL. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Caldwell is planning a return to the NFL after taking a year off following his firing from the Lions at the end of the 2017 season.

Not only is Caldwell planning a return, but Schefter believes he’ll be one of the top coaching candidates and should garner some interviews during the offseason.

“It’s enough to already get the attention of some teams that either have a head coach opening or are considering a head coaching change,” Schefter sadi. “And when the season ends, teams are expected to ask Caldwell to interview for their vacant head coaching jobs.”

Caldwell was the first coach in over 20 years to lead the Lions to back-to-back winning seasons, finishing 9-7 in both 2016 and 2017. In his four years, he finished 36-28 with the Lions, the highest winning percentage of a full-time Lions head coach since 1956.

Caldwell spent this year advising for the resurrection of the XFL.