Wade Phillips hasn’t gotten another opportunity to coach in the NFL since the Rams let him go after the 2019 season, but he’s found a job coaching elsewhere. It was announced on Wednesday that Phillips will be a head coach in the XFL, which is returning to action in 2023 after the COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 season to end prematurely. Former Rams defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will also be one of the eight XFL head coaches.
The other six are Bob Stoops, Terrell Buckley, Hines Ward, Rod Woodson, Reggie Barlow and Anthony Becht. Becht has ties to the Rams, too, spending one season as a tight end in St. Louis in 2008.
On ESPN, the @XFL2023 just announced the league's 8 head coaches for its 2023 return to the field. They are:
Wade Phillips
Bob Stoops
Terrell Buckley
Hines Ward
Rod Woodson
Reggie Barlow
Anthony Becht
Jim HaslettOwners @DanyGarciaCo and @TheRock are on @GetUpESPN now.
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) April 13, 2022
Phillips, 74, is one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, spending time with a number of franchises, from the Houston Oilers to the Los Angeles Rams. During his time in L.A., the Rams went 33-15 in the regular season and reached the playoffs twice, but they never finished in the top 10 in yards allowed defensively.
Haslett was the Rams’ defensive coordinator from 2006-2008, also serving as the interim coach in 2008 after Scott Linehan was fired four games into the season.
