The Jacksonville Jaguars have parted ways with head coach Doug Marrone. In his four years as the Jaguars’ head coach, Marrone collected a record of 23-43, with one playoff appearance in 2017. The team played in an AFC Championship Game in that season, losing to the New England Patriots.
In 2020, Jacksonville went 1-15, which lead to Marrone’s firing, but also earned them the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. That pick, in all likelihood, will give the Jaguars Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is said to be a generational talent.
Many free agent coaches will consider Jacksonville a prime destination if they do draft Lawrence. Here is a look at four potential head coach candidates for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer is the winner of three college football national titles. He won twice at the University of Florida (2006 and 2008) and once at Ohio State University (2014). Meyer left the coaching world after the 2018 season, citing ongoing health issues.
He has never coached in the NFL, and most football fans expected him to enter the commentating sphere after retiring. But if ever there was a talent that may coax him back to the sideline, it is Trevor Lawrence. It is pretty much as simple as that.
The Jaguars could let Meyer build a Lawrence-friendly, college style-leaning offense through the reset for which they are clearly headed. It is a new challenge for a coach who has achieved plenty at the college level. Most importantly, it is a chance for Meyer to be tied to a generational talent. If he is game, this is a no-brainer fit for both sides.
Eric Bieniemy
No one is allowed to be surprised to see Eric Bieniemy’s name on any list of potential head coaching candidates. The Jaguars are no exception here.
Bieniemy is already tied to a once-in-a-lifetime quarterback in Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City. The only drawback is that it is in an offensive coordinator capacity. He could now stake his claim as the greatest quarterback whisperer of all time if he is given the chance to be the head coach of a Trevor Lawrence-led Jacksonville team.
He has studied under one of the premier offensive minds in the NFL in Andy Reid. His place in history is already solidified after winning a Super Bowl with the Chiefs. The only real speed bump here is the rebuilding of the offense and the losses that will inevitably come with it, as he could stay with Kansas City and continue to wreck the league.
If Bieniemy does leave the safety of the Chiefs, though, why would it be for anyone else but Lawrence?
Brian Daboll
Under offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has grown immensely. In fact, Allen would and should be getting heavy consideration for MVP, if not for the juggernauts that are Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
Regardless, Buffalo’s offense is one of the scariest in the playoffs and that is because of Daboll. He took a question mark of a quarterback and turned him around to the tune of 34 touchdowns to only nine picks, along with almost 4,500 yards. Just imagine what he could do with a polished talent like Lawrence.
Other than potentially winning a Super Bowl with Buffalo, Daboll has little else to prove at the coordinator level. He has won five Super Bowls at various different assistant coach and coordinator positions, and a CFP National Championship with Alabama.
The only things left to accomplish for Daboll are at the head coaching level. Lawrence and the Jaguars could be the key to his emergence in that realm.
Jim Caldwell
Jim Caldwell has faded out of the spotlight since his departure from Detroit in 2017. That has not hurt the respect he is shown around the NFL, though.
He was Peyton Manning’s quarterback coach when the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007. After taking over for Tony Dungy in Indianapolis, he led the team back to the Super Bowl, losing to the Saints. Caldwell also served as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens in 2012.
Despite those accomplishments, he is perhaps best known for leading the Detroit Lions to the playoffs twice in his five-year tenure as head coach there. Finishing 11-5 with an organization as success-starved as Detroit will always be remembered, regardless of the first round playoff exit.
Caldwell’s latest gig was as the Dolhpins’ quarterbacks coach in 2019, although Miami chose not to retain his services. His offensive mind could be the perfect fit for a new era in Jacksonville, as long as Jaguars fans do not mind the relatively un-sexy pick.
Featured Image courtesy of Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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