Former Tennessee Vols defender reportedly expected to land new coaching job in the NFL
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Kacy Rodgers is expected to land a new coaching job in the NFL. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Detroit Lions are expected to hire Rodgers as the franchise's new defensive line coach (previous defensive line coach Terrell Williams recently left Detroit to join Mike Vrabel's coaching staff with the […]
Former Tennessee Vols defensive lineman Kacy Rodgers is expected to land a new coaching job in the NFL.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Detroit Lions are expected to hire Rodgers as the franchise's new defensive line coach (previous defensive line coach Terrell Williams recently left Detroit to join Mike Vrabel's coaching staff with the New England Patriots).
Rodgers, who is from Humboldt, TN, has spent the last six seasons as the Tamp Bay Buccaneers' defensive line coach. He won his first career Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2020/21 (Super Bowl LV).
Rodgers played under Johnny Majors at Tennessee from 1988 to 1991, earning an honorable mention All-SEC selection while playing on two SEC Championship teams.
The former Vol had a brief stint as a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992 before getting into coaching in 1994. Rodgers has also spent time in the NFL as an assistant coach with the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets (Rodgers was the Jets' defensive coordinator from 2015 to 2018).
Rodgers will join a couple of former Vols in Detroit. Quarterback Hendon Hooker, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley are former Tennessee players currently on the Lions' roster (Moseley, however, is set to be a free agent after the 2024 season).
Interestingly, Vols defensive lineman James Pearce was mocked to the Lions in Mel Kiper's latest 2025 NFL mock draft.
