As Black Monday looms in the NFL, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell seems to be getting a huge endorsement from ownership according to ESPN’s Adam Scheffer. But there’s still a ‘catch’, Caldwell’s fate as Lions head coach will ultimately be left up to the new GM… right.
Lions' ownership supports HC Jim Caldwell and plans to retain him, per sources. But Lions also expected to leave final decision to new GM.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 3, 2016
With that it’s highly unlikely Caldwell’s fate is determined on Black Monday unless that ‘national search’ for a new general manager concludes overnight.
Caldwell, who is in his second season as Lions head coach survived the Allen Park purge back on November 5th that saw Martha Ford fire team president Tom Leland and GM Martin Mayhew. And despite the disappointing 2016 season, Caldwell is the only Lions head coach in the Super Bowl era to finish his first two seasons above the .500 mark. Currently he’s 17-14 with a playoff appearance heading into the final week of the season against the Chicago Bears.
Still though, the Lions had high expectations in 2016 that ultimately resulted in failure and meaningless wins down the stretch.
