The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell as linebackers coach and run game coordinator, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Wednesday night.
Caldwell spent two seasons with the Jaguars, joining Doug Pederson’s staff shortly after the latter was hired as head coach in 2022.
The Jaguars finished 24th in yards allowed and 12th in points allowed in Caldwell’s first season. But with all 11 starters back in 2023, the unit didn’t take a step forward and finished 22nd in yards allowed and 17th in points allowed.
Takeaways were heavily emphasized by Caldwell and his staff, and the Jaguars finished top eight in the statistic in each of his two seasons.
Still, Caldwell and most of the Jaguars’ defensive coaching staff were fired after the team lost five of its last six games and missed the postseason.
Prior to his time in Jacksonville, Caldwell was an inside linebackers coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals. He also served as linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles early in his coaching career.
Caldwell will join Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce, who played linebacker in the NFL and was linebackers coach for Las Vegas before being elevated to head coach.
