Bears HC candidate profile: Get to know Jim Caldwell
The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Nagy after four years, and they’ve wasted no time exploring candidates to replace him.
Chairman George McCaskey, President/CEO Ted Phillips, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, VP of Player Engagement Lamar ‘Soup’ Campbell and Senior VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Tanesha Wade will conduct the search for Chicago’s next GM, a process which McCaskey promised would be “thorough, diligent and exhausted.”
The Bears have cast a wide net of head coach candidates that they’ve interviewed, including former Detroit Lions/Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell.
Let’s take a look at what Caldwell brings to the table in our Bears head coach candidate profile:
Background
Current Job: N/A
Age: 67
Hometown: Beloit, WI
College: Iowa
Experience
Assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach, Miami Dolphins (2019)
Head coach, Detroit Lions (2014-17)
Offensive coordinator, Baltimore Ravens (2013)
Interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach (2012)
Head coach, Indianapolis Colts (2009-11)
Assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach (2002-08)
Quarterbacks coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001)
Analysis
Caldwell has been out of coaching since 2019, but he remains highly respected among league circles. He found success as a head coach on two separate occasions with the Colts (2009-11) and Lions (2014-17), and he’s someone who certainly knows how to lead a locker room and a winning culture. Caldwell had a winning season in three out of four years with the Lions, which is an accomplishment in itself. He’s also made the playoffs in four of the seven seasons as a head coach.
Caldwell has a solid track record with quarterbacks having worked with Peyton Manning in Indianapolis during his prime and coached Matthew Stafford during his best years in Detroit. Caldwell might not be a young, up-and-coming offensive mind, but that doesn’t mean he’s not the right guy for one of these coaching vacancies.
While Caldwell boasts a lot of positives, he’s also 67 years old, and he’s not a long-term solution at head coach. Still, if the Bears are looking to build a contender over the next few years, Caldwell could help get them there.
They said it...
“When you saw what he did with them two years ago, when they were healthy, and they had (Ndamukong) Suh and a complete cast on defense, there’s no question that the players responded to him. If you talk to the players, even today, they are 100 percent in his corner. They believe he takes them in the right direction, that he takes care of them, that he gets them to the game in good shape physically, mentally and strategically.”
— Bill Polian on Caldwell in 2016 (via Chicago Tribune)
Bottom line
Caldwell isn’t the most attractive coaching candidate for the Bears, but he has a proven track record, including with the Colts under Polian. Heck, he even managed to find success with the Lions. The development of Justin Fields is going to be key, and Caldwell is someone who managed to get the best out of Stafford during his time in Detroit and worked with Manning in Indianapolis. Caldwell has been praised as a players coach and leader of men, which certainly fits the description Chicago is looking for in its next head coach. While Caldwell wouldn’t be the most exciting hire, he would be a solid get for the short-term future.
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