Jim Haslett

James Donald Haslett (born December 9, 1955) is an American football coach and former linebacker, most recently head coach of the Seattle Sea Dragons in the XFL. He played college football at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1979 NFL draft. That same year, he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Haslett played linebacker for the Bills through 1985. A broken leg during a preseason game in 1986 ended his time in Buffalo, though he made a brief return with the New York Jets in 1987. In a 2005 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Haslett admitted to using steroids while with the Bills, saying that “everybody tried it” to gain an edge over opponents.

His coaching career began in 1988 at the University at Buffalo, where he coached linebackers and later became defensive coordinator. In 1991, he took the same role with the Sacramento Surge of the World League of American Football, which suspended operations after the 1992 season. He entered the NFL as a linebackers coach for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1993, then moved to the New Orleans Saints in the same role. Promoted to defensive coordinator in 1996, he declined an interim head coaching offer after Jim Mora resigned and was not retained by new head coach Mike Ditka. From 1997 to 1999, he served as defensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In January 2000, Haslett was hired as head coach of the Saints on a three-year contract. That season, he led the team to a 10–6 record, an NFC West division title, and the franchise’s first playoff win—a victory over the St. Louis Rams before a loss to the Minnesota Vikings. For turning around a 3–13 team, he was named NFL Coach of the Year. That playoff appearance was the only one in his six-year tenure.

The Saints posted one other winning season in 2002, starting 9–4 but losing three straight—including to the 1–13 Cincinnati Bengals—to miss the playoffs by one game. In 2005, the team fell to 3–13 amid Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, forcing the franchise to relocate temporarily to San Antonio, with home games split between the Alamodome, LSU’s Tiger Stadium, and Giants Stadium. Haslett was fired after the season, finishing with a 45–51 regular-season record, second-most wins in Saints history at the time.

He became defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams in 2006. On September 29, 2008, he was named interim head coach after Scott Linehan’s firing. His contract included a clause promising him the permanent job if the team won at least six games, but the NFL nullified it for violating the Rooney Rule. Haslett won his first game, 19–17 over the 4–1 Washington Redskins, then beat the Dallas Cowboys 34–14 to reach 2–4. The Rams lost their final ten games, leaving him with a 2–10 interim record. On January 15, 2009, the Rams announced he was no longer a candidate for the permanent role.

In 2009, Haslett coached the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League to a 6–0 regular season, but they lost the championship game to the Las Vegas Locomotives. He was named UFL Coach of the Year. On January 12, 2010, he became defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins under Mike Shanahan, replacing Greg Blache. Despite speculation he would be fired after a poor 2013 season, new head coach Jay Gruden—who had been Haslett’s offensive coordinator with the Tuskers—kept him for 2014. On December 31, 2014, the Redskins announced his departure by mutual agreement.

After a 2015 stint as a consultant at Penn State, Haslett was hired as linebackers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals on January 15, 2016. Following the 2018 season, the Bengals did not retain him after firing head coach Marvin Lewis.