JAGUARS STEP UP HUNT FOR NEW HEAD COACH
The Jacksonville Jaguars ended their 2021 season with a 3-14 record after beating the Indianapolis Colts 26-11 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville on Sunday. The Jags capped a frustrating season with a good performance and a solid win against their division rivals, extending the Colts’ losing streak in Jacksonville which dates back to the 2014 season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only team to take advantage of the new rule that allows teams to begin doing interviews for head coaches during the final two weeks of the regular season. In this regard, they have a head start over the Chicago Bears, the Miami Dolphins, the New York Giants, and other clubs who fired their respective head coaches this past week. They will however compete with the Giants, Bears, and Vikings for a general manager if they decide to fire the incumbent Trent Baalke as those teams also elected to move on from their 2021 GMs.
After overseeing the team’s third win and last game of the season, interim head coach Darrell Bevell confirmed on Monday that he will be interviewing for the head coach job this week. More likely a formality than a possible long term fit, Jaguars fans will be reluctant to see the keys to the building handed over to someone who was part of the dysfunctional staff under Urban Meyer.
The Jags have already interviewed five candidates for the role with former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson batting leadoff. The former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator was interviewed on Thursday December 30th. The Chicago Bears are reportedly also interested in his services. Doug Pederson led the Philadelphia Eagles to an impressive 13-3 record in his second season and won the franchise their first-ever Super Bowl in 2018.
Jacksonville has also interviewed former New York Jets head coach and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Bowles is highly regarded by coaches and owners in the league and is deemed to be a great defensive mind. His best coaching performance came last year in an impressive playoff run that saw the Bucs win against the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. He is highly lauded for his tactics in Super Bowl LV in which his defense manhandled the Kansas City Chiefs and didn’t allow a single touchdown against what was the No.1 offense in the league.
On Tuesday January 4th, the Jags brought in former Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator and Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell. Caldwell’s resume includes an impressive two trips to the playoffs with the Lions in four years in Detroit, and two Super Bowl wins as a coordinator with the Ravens and Colts.
The Jaguars have also been talking to the Cowboys offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, but are likely to have stiff competition for his services. The Viking Age’s Adam Patrick reported this week that the 33-year old already has eyes on a head coaching position in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings. Kellen Moore has orchestrated stunning performances this season with what is now the No.1 offense in the league in Dallas. The Cowboys lead the NFL in yards per game with 407 and points per game with 31.2.
Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator and former Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich has also been on the radar of the Jags and the organization sent a request to interview him in late December. Arguably one of the best candidates to develop Trevor Lawrence, Leftwich oversaw Jameis Winston in his first year with the Bucs and helped him break many franchise passing records in 2019. That is until he helped Brady break most of those marks in the two seasons after. Both Moore and Leftwich interviewed on Friday, January the 7th.
Coaches have had a difficult time with virtual interviews conducted during the regular season, as most of them are still focused on their respective teams (Bowles, Moore, and Leftwich are in the playoffs with the Cowboys and Bucs). Normally, these interviews take place in the offseason but with the new rules allowing early head coach interviews, the first teams to conduct interviews will have a better chance of hiring a good candidate. As per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, these early interviews are conducted virtually for two hours, and the interviewees are not allowed to talk to the teams again, virtually or in-person until either the season ends or until after the conference championship games.
Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was rumored to have declined an interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars, is set to interview on Saturday the 15th, as per Tom Pelissero, with the Chicago Bears also interested.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn declined interviewing for the head coach position in Jacksonville during the last two weeks of the regular season as per ESPN’s Adam Schefter but will most likely interview for the position once his season with the Dallas Cowboys is over. Dan Quinn has an impressive resume that includes a Super Bowl appearance in 2016 and was the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks from 2013 to 2014, a time in which he helped develop the famed Legion of Boom.
The Jaguars will also interview Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett on Friday this week as per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The former Jaguars offensive coordinator helped guide Jacksonville to the AFC Championship game in 2017, working with quarterback Blake Bortles and running back Leonard Fournette, while helping build the league’s No. 1 rushing offense in the process.
Hackett interviewed for the Falcons job last season and was vouched for by Green Bay Packers quarterback and eventual 2020 MVP Aaron Rodgers, who apparently called Atlanta and asked them to consider the Fullerton native.
Another name linked to the Jags is Alabama offensive coordinator and former Houston Texans head coach, Bill O’Brien. O’Brien’s Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the Georgia Bulldogs on Monday night in the CFP National Championship game. O’Brien is scheduled to interview with the Jaguars on Thursday January 13th as per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Some key names are missing on the list for the Jaguars head coaching position including Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Despite the omissions, the candidate list for the job in Jacksonville is quite lengthy and Jaguars fans will be relieved that owner Shahid Khan has a variety of people to choose from.
Whether he makes the right decision this time however remains up for debate.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero