Last week, we learned that former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell was interested in returning to the NFL in 2019 after taking a year off. Well, apparently Caldwell has already scored his first head coaching interview and the 2018 season hasn’t even ended yet.
According to Pro Football Talk, Caldwell has interviewed for the Green Bay Packers head coaching job. The Packers fired Mike McCarthy back at the beginning of December and have used offensive coordinator Joe Philbin as the interim head coach since—going 2-1 since making the move.
Caldwell is the first reported interview for the Packers, though it has since been leaked that former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano has also interviewed for the position. Obviously at this point, the Packers can only choose from college coaches and those who did not coach in 2018, as current NFL coaches are still in season.
It’s worth noting that Caldwell also satisfies the Packers’ “Rooney Rule” requirements in their coaching search. Earlier this month, the NFL expanded the Rooney rule to not only require that teams interview a minority coach, but that interview must be with someone that is not currently within the organization.
However, Caldwell is very much considered a real candidate for a head coaching job. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that multiple teams are expected to ask Caldwell for an interview.
In his time with the Detroit Lions, Caldwell went 36-28, including back-to-back 9-7 seasons in his final two seasons with the team.