Mike Caldwell

Coaching Record

Years Coached Record Win % Playoff record Playoff win %
18 146-136-1 51.77% 8-6 57.14%

Biography

Career Summary

Mike Caldwell is a football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and has been the defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach for the Las Vegas Raiders since 2024. Prior to this season, he coached for the Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars for seventeen seasons. His most recent position was with the Jaguars as their defensive coordinator.

Personal Information

Caldwell was born on Sunday, March 28, 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Table of Contents

Playing Career

College Career: Middle Tennessee State

Caldwell played college football at Middle Tennessee State under head coach Boots Donnelly from 1989 until 1992. While a linebacker at the university, the team would win three Ohio Valley Conference titles. In addition to playing football for the Lightning, Caldwell also played a season of baseball (outfield) during his sophomore season until committing to football full time.

After his senior season, in which he was named to the AP Third Team All-American team, Caldwell was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 1983 NFL draft.

NFL Career

Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens

In 1993, Caldwell was drafted by the Browns under head coach Bill Belichick. Over his three year tenure with the team, he would end up playing in 47 of the teams games, starting eight of them. After the 1995 season, the Browns relocated to Baltimore and the franchise became the Baltimore Ravens. Caldwell entered the 1996 season as the starting weak side linebacker for the Ravens. However, he would only play in nine games that season due to a knee surgery in mid-September. Despite his knee injury, Caldwell still led the Ravens with 4.5 sacks on the season.

Arizona Cardinals

After the 1996 season, Caldwell signed a one year contract with the Arizona Cardinals as a backup outside linebacker. Caldwell played in all 16 games for the Cardinals in his only season with the franchise.

Philadelphia Eagles

After his single season with the Cardinals, Caldwell signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1998. Caldwell had an immediate impact on the Eagles--starting eight games and excelling on special teams. Caldwell was voted by his teammates the team's Special Teams MVP. That season, the Eagles suffered their worst season since 1972 (3-13). Following that season, the team hired Andy Reid and the team improved each of the remaining three seasons Caldwell spent with the Eagles. By his final season with the team (2001), Caldwell started all 16 games, including three playoff games for the Eagles while posting career highs in several defensive stats.

Chicago Bears

In 2002, Caldwell signed a multi-year free agent deal with the Chicago Bears to add depth to their linebacking core. However, after the single season, he was cut by the team.

Carolina Panthers

In 2003, Caldwell signed with the Carolina Panthers for his final NFL season of his career. In his final season, he would play in only nine games as the Panthers would end up losing in the Super Bowl. At the conclusion of the 2003 season, Caldwell retired from the NFL after 11 seasons.

Coaching Career

Philadelphia Eagles

In 2007, Caldwell began his coaching career with the team he had his most success with, the Philadelphia Eagles. His first position with the team was helping out as a training camp intern with the team. Beginning in 2008, Caldwell accepted a full time position with the team as their defensive quality control coach. Caldwell was in this role for two years until he was promoted to assistant linebackers coach in 2010. From 2008-2010 the Eagles made the playoffs every season, losing once in the NFC championship. During the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Caldwell was promoted to linebackers coach. However, his final two seasons with the team were not as successful as the team did not have a winning season, going 12-20 over these seasons.

Arizona Cardinals

In 2013, Caldwell accepted the linebackers coach with the Arizona Cardinals under new head coach Bruce Arians. In his first season with the Cardinals, the linebackers had several standout players with Karlos Dansbury and Daryl Washington. Dansbury was named to a second-team All-Pro selection as he because the fourth player since 1982 to record six sacks, four interceptions, and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. The Cardinals defense was able to maintain a high level of performance in 2014 despite losing both standout linebackers from the previous year (Dansbury to free agency, Washington to injury).

New York Jets

In 2015, Caldwell was hired as the assistant head coach/linebackers coach of the New York Jets when he followed Todd Bowles to the Jets. Caldwell had served under Bowles at both the Cardinals and Eagles. In 2015, the Jets outperformed expectations, missing out on the playoffs by virtue of a tiebreaker as the defense set a franchise record by allowing only 83 rushing yards per game.

History

Year Position Record Playoff record
2024 Las Vegas Raiders Defensive Run Game Coordinator / Linebackers Coach 2-6-0 0-0
2023 Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Coordinator 9-8-0 0-0
2022 Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive Coordinator 9-8-0 1-1
2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Inside Linebackers Coach 13-4-0 1-1
2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Inside Linebackers Coach 11-5-0 4-0
2019 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Inside Linebackers Coach 7-9-0 0-0
2018 New York Jets Assistant Head Coach / Inside Linebackers Coach 4-12-0 0-0
2017 New York Jets Assistant Head Coach / Linebackers Coach 5-11-0 0-0
2016 New York Jets Assistant Head Coach / Inside Linebackers Coach 5-11-0 0-0
2015 New York Jets Assistant Head Coach / Inside Linebackers Coach 10-6-0 0-0
2014 Arizona Cardinals Linebackers Coach 11-5-0 0-1
2013 Arizona Cardinals Linebackers Coach 10-6-0 0-0
2012 Philadelphia Eagles Linebackers Coach 4-12-0 0-0
2011 Philadelphia Eagles Linebackers Coach 8-8-0 0-0
2010 Philadelphia Eagles Assistant Linebackers Coach 10-6-0 0-1
2009 Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Quality Control Coach 11-5-0 0-1
2008 Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Quality Control Coach 9-6-1 2-1
2007 Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Intern 8-8-0 0-0

Coach history guide

Seasons with a championship win Seasons with a conference championship

Coach facts