I’m one of those people who was more than upset when the Lions let go of Jim Caldwell. I mean, the guy had a season like the Lions ended with in 2022, and this time around, we were praising Dan Campbell and company. When Caldwell had that same record, we gave him the book. What the heck?

Now, the former Detroit Lions head coach is back in the NFL for the first time in about four years.

Caldwell has been brought on by Frank Reich to join the Carolina Panthers as a senior defensive assistant. Caldwell’s latest gig was quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach for Brian Flores in Miami during the 2019 offseason. He parted ways with the team to handle some health issues. When he was the Lions’ head coach, Caldwell posted a 36-28 record in four seasons.

It was now or never for Caldwell. Back in December, Caldwell told “33rd team” that this would probably be the final year he pursed a major job in the NFL. In the message, he wrote, “I’ve had numerous opportunities to do other things, which I wanted to refrain from until I’ve exhausted every avenue in this area. I’m probably in my last hiring cycle. Obviously, I think teams are looking at a different sort of profile at this point. They’re looking for younger guys, for the most part. But, there’s been enough failures with guys that have no experience in the NFL that perhaps there’s some team owner who’s looking for a guy that’s had some experience and background and knows how to build a team and get them to where they’re winning, and winning consistently.”

I wish Caldwell all the best. I hope the Panthers treat him better than the Lions did. It’s taken Detroit this long to bounce back after bidding farewell to Caldwell, so it’s great to see both the Lions and Caldwell back on their feet.