Detroit Lions fire Jim Caldwell after missing playoffs

Jim Caldwell's tenure with the Detroit Lions is over.

The team announced early Monday morning that general manager Bob Quinn informed Caldwell that he will not be returning as head coach.

The news doesn't come as a surprise after the Lions lost hope for the playoffs by laying an egg in Cincinnati in Week 16.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that Caldwell's contract extension signed earlier in 2017 was for one year with options down the road, simply avoiding a lame-duck year. The contract nuance allowed the Lions to walk away from Caldwell after the season with minimal penalty.

The Lions ended 9-7 in 2017 after a 3-1 start to the year. Caldwell will finish his four-year run in Detroit with a 36-28 record. He is the first Lions head coach with a winning record since Joe Schmidt in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Detroit made the playoffs twice and finished with a losing record just once under Caldwell.

Despite the winning record, Caldwell's tenure was characterized by a failure to show up in big games, repeated letdowns against good teams, and close losses coupled with botched game-management scenarios. The Lions have not won a playoff game since 1991, the second-longest active drought in the NFL, and went 0-2 under Caldwell.

The Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, when a win would have kept the postseason hopes alive, typified the type of no-shows that became all too frequently in the coach's tenure. Detroit backed into the playoffs in 2016, losing three straight to end the year. In 2017, Caldwell's Lions beat just one team that ended the season with a winning record (Minnesota in Week 4).

Firing Caldwell signals that simply beating up on bad teams is no longer good enough for owner Martha Firestone Ford. Caldwell helped guide the Lions out of Embarrassmentville for four seasons, but his tenure hit its ceiling.

Quinn must now find the person to get Detroit over the top.

In his first year, the Lions GM kept Caldwell on after making the playoffs last year. As Quinn makes his first coaching hire, all eyes turn to Foxborough, where the ex-New England Patriots executive spent 16 years.

Rapoport reported Monday that the Lions are expected to interview Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia for their open coaching position. If Patricia gets the nod, the Lions could retain Jim Bob Cooter and the offense, keeping continuity for quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Let's block ads! (Why?)