The NFL’s last remaining head coaching search took another interesting turn Friday. While the Texans have contacted former Colts and Lions HC Jim Caldwell about their vacancy, they also announced they spoke with Josh McCown about the opening Friday as well.
This marks Caldwell’s second interview for the job. The former Lions and Colts HC spoke with the Texans in December, but the team’s search took on a different tone after Nick Caserio‘s GM hire.
McCown began this season with Eagles, residing as the NFL’s oldest practice squad player and operating as a remote emergency quarterback, but signed with the Texans in November. The 41-year-old QB would be one of the most unorthodox choices in modern NFL history, but the Texans are exploring the prospect of hiring McCown and pairing him with at least one former head coach, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The 19-year veteran has been viewed as a future coach and is interesting under contract with the Texans through 2021. The team viewed the well-regarded backup as a culture-type signing and a player who could help as a coach immediately after retirement. This would certainly spark debate, however. While players jumping straight into HC roles has happened in the NBA — like Jason Kidd or Derek Fisher — McCown would be a controversial hire considering the NFL’s current imbalance between white and minority head coaches.
McCown’s previous plan was to spend time watching his sons play football after retirement. A leap into a head coaching position would certainly change his schedule. And making such a move before gaining any experience as an assistant would represent a risk for McCown. That said, the 49ers hired John Lynch as GM without experience and paired him with Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers won the NFC in that regime’s third year. Of course, this backfired with Matt Millen in Detroit.
A McCown hire would run beyond the “outside the box” label, but this is now something to monitor for a Texans team that began the week interviewing popular HC candidate Eric Bieniemy. The Texans remain interested in Colts DC Matt Eberflus, whom the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin notes (via Twitter) is a frontrunner for the job. Houston has interviewed eight candidates for the position. Eberflus initially declined an interview request but met with Nick Caserio and Co. on Sunday.
Caldwell (feat. Peyton Manning) coached the Colts to a Super Bowl in his first season as Indianapolis’ HC but was out of a job after his third. Caldwell elevated the Lions to a playoff berth in his first year with Detroit in 2014 but was fired after a 9-7 2017 season. The 66-year-old coach experienced a health issue that caused him to step away from his post as Dolphins QBs coach in 2019, but he is back to full health and would certainly represent an experienced right-hand man for McCown or another younger coach.
Man this would be so on brand for this Houston team. You’ve never coached a single game in your life before? Come coach at the NFL level, it’s not that hard I guess….
Poor Watt, man…
19 years in the league, if he’s got innovative ideas about offense and he’s proven to be a likeable personality in the locker room who players respect why not take a chance if hes bringing forth better ideas than other candidates.
He will probably hire a veteran OC and DC to his staff who’s had previous HC experience to learn from, which most young coaches do.
Bring in Raheem Morris for DC and Chan Gailey for OC.
As long as McCown focuses on culture and oversight, where he properly delegates and let’s his coordinators do their jobs – I can see McCown succeeding. Similar to Joe Judge.
McCown for Eagles OC
Why did they even interview HC candidates prior to hiring Caserio?
they are a dysfunctional organization
yeah I get that. But some of this mess seems to defy common sense even. They said at the outset the GM would pick the coach.
To keep the Easter bunny happy
At least start McCown with idk, a qb coaching job or something before making him the HC lol
Right!?
They will probably hire Eberflop. They would just be the team to hire someone who said No Thanks realize nobody else wanted him and jumps back in
Anything to keep a black coach from that spot, huh?
cmon now. there are more experienced non-minority coaches out there if you were simply concerned about not hiring a minority
Cade MaCown vs Eric Bieniemy……c’mon!?!?
that Bieniemy haa gotten so many interviews and none of ended in a job is a red flag in and of itself. I personally don’t think Bieniemy is a bad HC idea to try, especially if Watson likes him, but McCown has the backup QB thing and, again, has already had some buzz around him prior to now. with teams hiring guys with fairly little experience a player going directly to the HC isnt exactly unreasonable. personally if break him in as a QBC or even OC, but if he’s going to want to take a family break otherwise you may want to pull the trigger if you really think he’s a rising candidate.
The only reason Bienemy isn’t a serious contender is the same reason why people stop hiring Bellicheck guys. It rarely works out. Look at recent Andy Reid protégé and what theyve done away from Andy Reid. Pederson was ousted in Philly. Nagy has underachieving in Chicago. Pat Shurmur blew it twice in Cleveland and NYG. I’m only looking at offense guys cause thats reids speciality. Brad Childress underperformed in Minnesota.
John Harbaugh has really only been the star pupil and he was a special teams coordinator.
Peterson also won a SB before being let go of so…
A blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut
A broken clock is always correct twice a day
Finished 4-11. Carson Wentz regressed under his watch after Philly signed him to a massive extension.
Good for him that he won a sb. And since then he’s been mediocre and has turned what looked like a franchise qb into a mediocre qb with an albatross contract. Which is why he was fired.
you don’t luck into a super bowl. look back at what people were saying about him them. loads of national praise for his creativity.
Felt like Pederson quit on his team. He can coach but this year he tossed in the towel early. Really sad.
Of the 10 coaches who previously worked under Reid before becoming a head coach 8 have gone to the playoffs. 3 have made it to the super bowl and 1 won the super bowl.
Everyone knows Andy Reid makes good coaches even if his OCs don’t call the plays they know them like the back of their hands.
Nothing like coaches from the BB tree.
Let’s have a look at the BB tree, Bill OBrian, Matt Patrica, Eric Mangini and Romeo Crennel. Bill OBrian is the only one with a positive record 42-38 and we all know how bad he is
Isn’t Jim Caldwell black?
You hire Caldwell and instantly this team will be better.
Apparently the Texan’s locker room is toxic. Not sure anyone can fix that without wholesale personnel changes. The real answer might be to bring in a veteran player that can restore discipline/positive attitudes.
Caldwell can fix this. He’s the right guy for a locker room change.
Texans aren’t actually looking for a good HC. They are trying to find if there is anyone worse than BOB and then sign that person.
If I was DeShaun Watson I’d request the trade, and just not even bother to come back next year. Who cares if they fine you a bunch of times, this organisation is absolutely terrible.
Thanks for bringing race into this PFR! I haven’t had a healthy dose of that for a while.
they aren’t “bringing race” into it, it’s impossible to ignore the presence of race when josh mccown, a white man who has never coached before, seemingly has a better chance at landing the job than eric bieniemy, a black man with tons of coaching experience
So you think race is the reason the Texans haven’t hired Eric B yet? If so come right out and state it.
Great point. To play devil’s advocate… both are 10 years apart, have lots of experience, and neither are play callers. One could argue they are both quite similar in experience.
Jim Caldwell is black. Since apparently that seems to be the deciding factor in how we should evaluate human beings.
I am thinking Bienemy is being held back not only by his interviews but by all those issues in his past. Not sure you want the woke/offended crowd at every Tuesday press conference versus just the usual brain dead sports media.
What issues does Bienemy have in his past?
He actually has a few incidents. I had no idea about any of them until someone in the comments section referenced one and I looked him up. The most concerning one was a harassment incident in the early 2000s with a parking lot attendant. I’m not saying that is who he is now, but he had a few incidents in the 90s and 2000s that could cause questions. You should just look them and see them yourself. None seem to be recent, though.