Allen Park – The Detroit Lions are willing to let defensive coordinator Teryl Austin explore other opportunities, but apparently with some caveats.
According to ESPN.com, the Lions granted Austin the permission to meet with the Cincinnati Bengals for the team’s defensive coordinator opening, but denied a similar request from the Green Bay Packers.
There’s clearly a competitive element to blocking a coach from interviewing with a division rival. The Lions stopped a similar attempt by the Chicago Bears to interview Jim Bob Cooter for the team’s offensive coordinator job in 2015, when he was still a quarterbacks coach with the Lions.