The two coaches fired from NFC North teams this offseason will resurface in one of the two leagues set to spawn soon.
Both John Fox and Jim Caldwell have agreed to work with the XFL as consultants, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. The Bears and Lions axed Fox and Caldwell in January, respectively.
Fox was linked to coaching offers shortly after being fired, and it’s likely he will return to coaching at some point. But for now, he’ll work with the XFL. It’s possible Caldwell will provide input from an offensive prospective, with the defensively oriented Fox being brought in for defensive views.
The league plans to restart in 2020, after what will be a 19-year hiatus, and it’s still in the process of determining rules. However, the XFL looks to have greater financial backing this time around.
Oliver Luck is signed on as commissioner and will receive $20MM guaranteed in that role, and the league has raised more money in advance of its rebirth than what the Alliance of American Football has. However, the AAF’s brought in bigger coaching and personnel names thus far. No coaches or teams have been announced for XFL 2.0 yet.
Caldwell, 63, has been an NFL coach for 17 straight seasons and hasn’t taken a season off since breaking into the profession in the late 1970s. Fox has been affiliated with an NFL team every year since 1989. His only coaching break came in 1996, when he was a Rams consultant. Fox, 63, has experience working in other pro football leagues, having coached in the USFL during the 1985 season.
LOL
John Fox is one of the most underrated head coaches in recent memory.
Not if you are a Denver Bronco fan!
Or a Bears fan. Not saying he had a ton to work with, but this guy was about as likable as a serial killer, and as memorable as an Alzheimer’s patient’s lunch.
Dumb comment.
Dumb comment
5 years after he retires will you be saying the same thing about Hue Jackson?
Hue Jackson is terrible. I will remember John Fox for winning games with Tebow, including a playoff game, and having solid defenses. For his time in Chicago, the GM gave him nothing to work with. Last year it’s amazing they won as many as they did. Give him the browns roster from last year and he at least gets a couple wins.
Not a single one will compete with the NFL. They will still get the best players. The “other” organizations will get the cast offs and trouble makers. Just like Canada does. Except they have a rule against the trouble makers heading north
Neither league needs to compete with the NFL to be relatively successful. Obviously, they won’t have the top tier talent, but it’ll be a good place for talented UDFAs, 30+ year old RB’s/veterans who feel they still have something to prove, or maybe, thinking outside the box, it’ll be a good platform for transitioning college basketball players, overseas rugby players, etc..to try and get their feet wet, if they want to try football..Instead of not getting a legit shot with an NFL team, after wasting two or three years trying to learn the sport, only to be released..I.E. J.Hayne..
All these leagues need to be successful is to have a couple familiar names on each team, and to have competitive games…Then, people will watch, simply because it’s still more football being played at a higher level..
It’ll be a good place for a type of guy like QB Aaron Murray, formerly from UGA..A successful college QB on a popular team, that goes to the NFL, and spends 3 or so years bouncing around from practice squad to practice squad and never really gets a chance to play…
Time out dust. Doug Flutie was one of those NFL “castoffs” your referring to and he holds every important passing record in the CFL.
Is Vegas offering odds yet on these league’s surviving beyond one season? It would make far more sense for these two leagues to merge as one although that would only postpone the inevitable for a bit longer.
Sorry xfl