Jim Caldwell, Chuck Pagano & Mike McCoy Coordinator Options For Cardinals, Depending On Who They Hire

Adam Schefter reports that if Cardinals end up hiring Brian Flores as their head coach, he would like to bring former Lions HC Jim Caldwell with him to Arizona as his offensive coordinator.

Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals DC James Bettcher is still very much alive in the team’s coaching search. Should he get the job, Rapoport says that his coordinator candidates including former Colts HC Chuck Pagano and former Chargers HC Mike McCoy.

If Bettcher can get both of them to join him in Arizona, it would certainly bolster his candidacy for the job. It’s also worth mentioning that Bruce Arians recommended him for the position.

Caldwell, 62, began his head coaching career with the Colts back in 2009 after taking over for Tony Dungy. He spent three years in charge of Indianapolis before he was fired after the 2011 season.

After a stint with the Ravens as their offensive coordinator, the Lions hired him as their head coach in 2015. Detroit made the decision to move on from Caldwell last month and are now set to hire Matt Patricia as his replacement.

Overall, Caldwell led the Lions to a record of 36-28 (56.3 percent), which includes two playoff appearances.

McCoy, 45, began his NFL coaching career with the Panthers back in 2000 as their quarterbacks coach. He spent nine years in Carolina before departing to take the Broncos’ offensive coordinator position in 2009.

After four years of running the Broncos’ offense, the Chargers hired him as their head coach before firing him after the 2016 season. The Broncos hired him as offensive coordinator soon after but he was, unfortunately, fired a few weeks ago.

During his four years in San Diego, McCoy led the Chargers to a record of 27-36 (42.9 percent), which includes one playoff appearance and a playoff win.

Pagano, 57, spent a few years as the Ravens’ secondary coach before he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2011. The Colts hired him as their head coach a year later and he spent six years in Indianapolis.

During his six years in Indianapolis, Pagano led the team to a record of 53-43 (55.2 percent) and three playoff appearances including a championship appearance in 2014.