Caldwell, Lions coaches still employed, for now

For now, the Lions coaches remain employed.

The team fired its top two executives, President Tom Lewand and General Manager Martin Mayhew, on Thursday, but if the coaching staff is to be dismissed, the men have yet to hear.

"I haven't heard anything, so I'm assuming I'm still employed," defensive coordinator Teryl Austin told The Detroit News in a phone call Thursday afternoon.

Martha Firestone Ford, the team's owner and chairwoman, informed Lewand and Mayhew of their dismissal Thursday around 11:30 a.m.

Lions fire president Lewand, GM Mayhew

In her only public address since taking over as owner in March 2014, when her husband William Clay Ford Sr. died, Martha Ford offered the utmost praise for head coach Jim Caldwell.

"I think he's absolutely the most wonderful coach and done such a great job," she said in June.

Caldwell helped lead the Lions to an 11-5 finish and a playoff berth in his first year as coach in 2014. However, he's already fired three of his assistants during the 1-7 start.

With Lewand and Mayhew fired, the situation in Allen Park remains fluid.