JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two weeks into their head coaching search, the Jaguars have seen two of the top candidates go off the market.
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On Wednesday, ESPN reported that Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen was staying with Tampa Bay with a new contract that will make him one of the highest-paid OCs in the league. Coen had been the betting favorite to be Jacksonville’s next head coach, and that only increased Monday when Lions OC Ben Johnson took the Bears head coaching job.
Johnson was one of 10 candidates Jacksonville interviewed. Coen was one of three candidates who had scheduled second, in-person interviews this week with the Jaguars. Ex-Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are the other candidates who have in-person interviews with the Jaguars this week.
For a fanbase that trudged through a brutal last season and a half as Doug Pederson’s team imploded, missing out on two of the top candidates in the hiring cycle is another disappointment. Owner Shad Khan fired Pederson on Jan. 6 following a 4-13 season that netted Jacksonville the No. 5 pick in the draft. It was expected that Khan would clean house and get rid of Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, but Khan opted to keep his embattled GM.
Khan left the door ajar that if a head coach felt comfortable with his own GM and not Baalke, and presented a plan Khan felt would take the franchise forward, then the owner would consider a new GM. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, she said Jacksonville’s framework wasn’t as appealing to Johnson as Chicago’s. The Bears have quarterback Caleb Williams on a rookie contract, while Jacksonville is burdened by a $275 million deal given to Trevor Lawrence last offseason.
The Baalke situation is very likely another sticking point with coaches like Johnson and Coen. Baalke is entering the final year of his contract and has a checkered history in Jacksonville.
“The Jacksonville Jaguars were also interested in Ben Johnson but I’m told the setup wasn’t in line with what he was looking for in his first head coaching job,” Russini said.
The Jaguars have also interviewed Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Baltimore OC Todd Monken, Kansas City DC Steve Spagnuolo, Buffalo OC Joe Brady, Philadelphia OC Kellen Moore and Vikings DC Brian Flores.
Interest in Brady, Moore or Spagnuolo wouldn’t be able to pick back up in any serious form until those teams are done playing. The Bills and Chiefs meet in the AFC championship game and the Eagles and Commanders meet for the NFC title.
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