Detroit Lions: Jim Caldwell Will Remain Head Coach for 2016

Jim Caldwell will keep his job as head coach of the Detroit Lions despite Bob Quinn coming to town as the new general manager.

Bob Quinn’s first big decision as Detroit Lions general manager has been made: Jim Caldwell will remain the team’s head coach.

The news was also announced via press release, accompanied by the following statement from Quin:

"“As I stated Monday, I was looking forward to the opportunity to get to know Jim,” said Quinn. “After spending a significant amount of time together, it is clear that our football philosophies are very similar.”“Consequently, I am convinced he is the right man to lead our football team moving forward.” Quinn continued. “Jim’s entire body of work is impressive.”“Not only did he lead the Lions to the playoffs his first season here, but when you look at how the players responded the second half of last season, under difficult circumstances, it’s clear to me that this team believes in him and responds positively to his leadership.“Our entire focus now is on the off-season and all that it entails.”"

The Lions maintained that the deciding on Jim Caldwell’s future with the team would be in the hands of the new general manager rather than being dictated from ownership. Quinn reiterated in his introductory press conference that the decision would be his and his alone and Pro Football Talk reported as recently as last night that no decision had been made despite Quinn and Caldwell meeting on four occasions since Quinn arrived on the job.

Related Story: Quinn introductory press conference quotes

It was clear from Quinn’s press conference that he desires a cohesive team between the front office, scouts and coaching staff so it stands to reason that Quinn would need some time to build and evaluate his relationship with Caldwell before making a final decision.

The 1-7 start last season was a disaster but Caldwell maintained the respect of his players and made the necessary coaching staff adjustments to go 6-2 the second half of the season. While the thought of Caldwell returning won’t be appealing to some fans, his return also means the return of a solid coaching staff. That very well may also include the return of Teryl Austin, who has interviewed for several head coaching opportunities but has not landed a job.