Gene Frenette: Former Jaguars DC Joe Cullen has his redemption with Chiefs

When former Jaguars’ defensive coordinator Joe Cullen reflects on the 16-year NFL coaching journey it took to finally get near the mountaintop, he appreciates how lucky he was to successfully navigate through so much career upheaval. 

His path to potential Super Bowl glory as the Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach goes beyond Cullen being a recovering alcoholic, one now approaching 17 years of sobriety. 

Cullen’s remarkable comeback story — often connected to him rebounding from embarrassing alcohol-related incidents in 2006 that almost sabotaged his NFL employment and forced him to seek professional help — is also about persevering through a ton of coaching speed bumps since then.

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Over a year ago, Cullen was among many victims on the Jaguars’ coaching staff of Urban Meyer’s disastrous tenure, which sent him to the unemployment line for no other reason than being derailed by his boss’ terrible judgment. 

That was just one more fork in a career road full of twists and turns. Cullen had already been through public relations blowback, none more serious than driving naked through a Wendy’s drive-through in Aug. 2006, and his arrest the following week for a DUI before his first NFL season began with the Detroit Lions. 

But after getting his personal life straightened out, then making his NFL return when the Jaguars hired him in 2010 and employed him for three years as their defensive line coach, Cullen found himself juggling the start of his marriage to Andrea with more career turmoil. 

He had to change jobs three times in four years because head coaches in Jacksonville (Jack Del Rio), Cleveland (Rod Chudzinski) and Tampa Bay (Lovie Smith) lost their jobs. A five-season run (2016-20) as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive line coach brought stability for his family, which now includes three daughters (ages 7, 5 and 3), but then Cullen’s promotion to DC with the Jaguars soon forced him back on another job hunt. 

“Nothing but respect for the Jaguars because Shad [Khan, owner] and Trent [Baalke, GM] were great to me,” said Cullen in a phone interview. “I got a phone call from the Chiefs when they unexpectedly lost in the AFC Championship game [last year]. 

“Just being a part of that organization, being around [head coach] Andy Reid, [defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo, [quarterback] Patrick Mahomes, [defensive tackle] Chris Jones and [defensive end] Frank Clark, it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.” 

Cullen, who still lives in Ponte Vedra Beach in the offseason, hit the coaching jackpot this time. Not only has his defensive line, a huge factor in KC improving from 31 sacks last year to 55 this season, been a force in the playoffs, but Cullen is now working on one of the most job-secure staffs in the NFL. 

With the opportunity to earn his first Super Bowl ring next week if the Chiefs can knock off the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Arizona, Cullen is grateful for his coaching path, no matter how turbulent things got at times. 

“There’s no way I could do it alone,” said Cullen. “Just the grace of God and people helping me along the way.” 

Getting priorities in order 

The reason Cullen’s story resonates with many connected to the NFL is it’s a reminder of how life and a stress-filled profession can be so combustible. 

He once thought he never had a problem with alcohol because he drank on such rare occasions. But Cullen couldn’t ignore the fact that when he did partake, there was no guarantee he’d stop at two or three drinks. 

In the spring of 2005, shortly after being hired as a line coach at Ole Miss, he was cited for public drunkenness at a sandwich shop after falling asleep waiting for an order. He got fired. 

Over a year later, after a one-year hitch at Illinois under Ron Zook as a defensive graduate assistant, Cullen got the Lions’ job. But two weeks before the 2006 season, he endured massive public ridicule for the Wendy’s incident and subsequent DUI, though the Lions’ front office and head coach Rod Marinelli stood by him and kept Cullen employed. 

He faced separate one-game suspensions from the Lions and the NFL, but immediately sought help for his alcohol addiction and got sober. He earned public acclaim from commissioner Roger Godell and received massive support from coaching colleagues for addressing his drinking problem, which was a big factor in Cullen resurrecting his career with the Jaguars. 

During the 2009 season, he worked at Idaho State because no NFL team would touch him after the Lions dismissed Marinelli following the 2008 season. 

“The thing at Ole Miss and what happened in Detroit, I said then that alcohol and me could no longer be teammates,” said Cullen. “My career and family name were more important than any sip of beer or glass of whiskey. 

“I wasn’t going to let those incidents define me. If you learn from it, then it can be a shining light. Eventually, great things can happen.” 

Cullen's strength: dealing with adversity 

After 17 seasons working in college and 16 more in the NFL, the 55-year-old Cullen sees himself as a coaching lifer. 

“Until the day I don’t love it, I think I’m going to coach,” said Cullen. “If you told me I’d get another 10 years in the NFL, I’d take it.” 

Marinelli, now retired and living in Dallas, told the Times-Union in 2010 how immensely proud he was of Cullen for not only his sobriety, but refraining from lashing out at detractors. 

That’s when Marinelli knew Cullen was in the profession for the long haul, because he kept an upbeat attitude through difficult circumstances. 

“Do you know how hard that is when people are pounding you in the dirt?,” Marinelli said in 2010. “Now he has a chance to go forward with the Jaguars. The last two years, he’s had a ton of doors slammed in his face. Joe Cullen is a great story.” 

Over a decade later, the Cullen story is even better. Not simply because he’s about to coach in his first Super Bowl, but that he can share the experience with Andrea — a woman he knew since 2001, started dating in 2008, then married in 2013 — and his three daughters in attendance. 

Marinelli, in a phone interview Thursday, takes pride in how Cullen has evolved as both a coach and family man. 

“It’s been terrific watching [Cullen] grow,” said Marinelli, who retired after the 2021 season coaching on the Las Vegas Raiders’ staff. “NFL coaches love the profession, but you got to fight to stay in it. What is your reputation and what does your game tape look like? Those are the only things that matter. It’s your reputation that carries you on to the next job. 

“Joe has a beautiful family and he’s done a magnificent job with Kansas City this year. In this league, to be successful, there’s a lot of discomfort and you got to get comfortable with that. You got to be strong enough because you wake up every day and know there’s adversity coming. That’s a strength of Joe in how he deals with that.” 

Getting after the QB 

The unemployment clock was ticking on Cullen after the 2021 season ended. While the Jaguars were on a lengthy search for their new coach, Cullen found himself in limbo. 

He interviewed for defensive coordinator openings with the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens, then got a call from Reid offering the D-line job. 

Cullen was torn between waiting on potential coordinator jobs, not knowing if he would get offered, or committing to the Chiefs. He elected not to keep Reid on hold, accepting the KC post two days before the Jaguars hired head coach Doug Pederson. 

“It was a prolonged process,” said Cullen. “I couldn’t wait any more, especially with an organization like the Kansas City Chiefs.” 

It turns out Cullen was as good a fit with the Chiefs as they were for him. KC’s defense jumped from 27th last season and 21st against the run to No. 12 and No. 8, respectively. With Cullen coaching a D-line led by Jones, rookie pass-rusher George Karlaftis and a team also galvanized by last year’s AFC Championship loss to Cincinnati, the Chiefs earned their third Super Bowl trip in the last four years. 

Four days before the AFC Championship game against the Bengals — a team that had beaten the Chiefs three times in a span of 11 months — Cullen told me he felt strongly that Jones, edge rusher Frank Clark and Karlaftis could exploit Cincy’s patchwork offensive line. 

That’s precisely what happened. The Chiefs put Burrow on the ground five times, none bigger than Jones’ third-down sack on the final Cincy possession before Mahomes led a game-winning, field goal drive.  

In two wins over the Jaguars, including the AFC Divisional round, KC had a combined seven sacks on QB Trevor Lawrence, but there was no bigger signature moment in Cullen’s career than seeing his unit play a huge role in finally vanquishing Burrow. 

Energy to burn 

Being one win away from his first Super Bowl ring, Cullen tries not to think about the emotions swirling within him if that happens. 

“The pinnacle for anybody in their profession is to get to the top,” said Cullen. “Having the chance to compete for a Lombardi [trophy] and winning it, I would be at a loss for words.” 

Andrea — who first met her husband when he coached her younger brother, John, at Indiana in 2003 — and Joe began dating in his last year with the Lions (2008) during an 0-16 season. 

She knew everything about his past alcohol issues, admired how he owned up to his mistakes, and marvels at the relentless energy he pours into coaching, marriage and fatherhood. 

“He’s one of the most positive, hard-working guys I’ve ever met,” said Andrea. “When Joe puts his mind to something, he will accomplish it. He’s going 100 miles per hour until he’s perfected it. 

“I know what I signed up for [in marrying him]. What I love about my husband is he’s honest and cares about his players. It’s like squeezing every last ounce of juice out of an orange, the way he gets the most out of his players. He puts that same 110 percent effort into being a husband and father.” 

Cullen has a lot on his plate in the next few weeks. In addition to game-planning against an Eagles’ offensive line many regard as the best in the NFL, all of his daughters’ birthdays — including youngest girl Jenna on Super Bowl Sunday — and Andrea’s are in the month of February. 

That's a lot of pending celebrations. If Joe Cullen can also hoist a Lombardi trophy, it’d add another chapter to his remarkable comeback story. 

Gfrenette@jacksonville.com: (904) 359-4540