Jacksonville Jaguars: Ranking the 5 Best Possible Candidates for Head Coach

Now that Jack Del Rio has been fired, the Jaguars are looking for a new head coach. It's just one of the many changes that the franchise has gone through in the last few weeks; they've also changed owners and there are rumors that they may be after a new quarterback as well.

But first things first: who are the best candidates for head coach? Here are my top five.

Fisher was fired last year after another disappointing season with the Tennessee Titans, but he was still a successful coach for many years and will be one of the names that comes up a lot in the search for head coaches.

In his career as a head coach, Fisher was 147-126. Not bad.

He also took the Titans to the playoffs six times in his 16-year stint with the organization.

The downside to hiring Fisher is that he was notorious for mediocrity in his last few seasons. The team hadn't won a playoff game since 2003, and in that instance, they didn't make it any further after that win.

Fisher is also a defensive-minded coach, and the Jaguars are already pretty set on defense. They need an offensive guy, and that is not Jeff Fisher.

Mike Sherman is supposedly high on the list for the Jacksonville Jaguars, which seems a little odd to me.

He did have a relatively successful run with the Packers from 2000 to 2005, taking them to the playoffs four times in his six seasons. However, since then, he's done nothing of note.

Most recently, he was the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies, where he was 25-25. Not a great record.

Still, he is an offensive-minded coach, and he has taken teams to the playoffs before, so he's not a terrible candidate.

The defensive coordinator of the New York Giants has gotten a lot of attention the last couple of seasons from teams looking to hire a new head coach, and the recognition is deserved.

He served as interim head coach of the Buffalo Bills in the 2009 season after serving as the defensive coordinator for three years. In 2008, the Bills were one of the best defenses in the NFL.

He's tested the waters as a head coach, and I think he's ready to take the next step.

Unfortunately, the Jaguars are more in need of an offensive-minded coach than another defensive guy. There are better options than Fewell.

According to Adam Schefter, Mike Mularkey is high on the list of potential head coaches for the Jaguars, and he's a much better fit than Mike Sherman.

Last season, the Falcons offense under Mularkey looked unstoppable. The Falcons went 13-3 in the regular season, only losing to the Saints, Steelers (in overtime) and Eagles and consistently put up 30 points or more on their opponents.

This season, the Falcons have underperformed a little bit, but they're still very much in the playoff hunt at 7-5.

Mularkey has also, briefly, held a head coaching job already. Again, with the Bills (2004-2005).

He's consistently fielded great offenses and that's what the Jaguars need right now. Plus, Mularkey is apparently one of their top choices, so he's a great fit.

Gruden rumors abounded last season, but he stuck it out with ESPN. However, his contract with ESPN expires this season, so he may be ready to return to the world of head coaching.

Gruden has been considered a quarterback guru for years, and whether the Jaguars stick with Gabbert or pick a new guy in the draft, they'll need quarterback help.

Gruden also has been a head coach—a very successful one. Gruden coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl victory. He coached in Florida once, why not again?

Gruden is going to be one of the hot hires this season for one team, so the Jaguars will be competing with a lot of other teams for him, so they'll have to pay for him. But with a new owner and a good defense already in place, they just might get him.