Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars are set to interview two candidates for their head coach opening this week, but they reportedly will be expanding their search to include more options.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Jaguars "are not down to" former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham despite scheduling them for in-person interviews.

The team is reportedly expected to pursue interviews with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports noted that Jacksonville plans to hire a head coach before hiring a replacement for general manager Trent Baalke, who parted ways with the team on Wednesday.

The Jaguars have fallen short in their chase for a top head coaching candidate. Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn both interviewed with the team but opted to take the Chicago Bears and New York Jets head coaching jobs, respectively.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who was scheduled for an in-person interview this week and was reportedly once thought to be the favorite for the job in Jacksonville, withdrew from the search to remain in his current role.

After being left at the altar, the Jaguars made a poorly-timed decision to part ways with Baalke after team owner Shad Khan initially committed to retaining him following the firing of head coach Doug Pederson over two weeks ago.

"Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons. Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager and play an important role, with others, as we continue the process of interviewing candidates to serve as our new head coach. I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike," Khan said in a statement.

However, it appears that the damage has already been done as coaching candidates continue to fly off the board. The Jaguars are one of four teams remaining with head coaching vacancies, so they will have to work hard to set themselves apart from the pack as they pursue a new leader.

The Jacksonville Jaguars made the stunning decision to part ways with general manager Trent Baalke on Wednesday in the middle of their head-coaching search.

Big move out of Jacksonville.

There’s been plenty talk around the NFL on impact of Trent Baalke’s presence for head coach candidates in Jags ongoing search. Now, Jags start anew at HC and GM. https://t.co/cbppL5d2fy

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 22, 2025

Team owner Shad Khan released the following statement regarding the decision:

Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately. Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons. Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager and play an important role, with others, as we continue the process of interviewing candidates to serve as our new head coach. I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike.

The move comes as one coaching candidate, Ben Johnson, chose to take the Chicago Bears' vacancy instead, while another, Liam Coen, decided to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and remain the team's offensive coordinator.

Around the NFL, executives were stunned when Trent Baalke was retained after the season. Many called it malpractice and some laughed at the decision. It’s fair to wonder where the #Jaguars would be if they had fired him two weeks ago. What was once an attractive HC job became… https://t.co/sRQrhopYrP pic.twitter.com/0Wc4BzGy8P

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 22, 2025

Better late than never, but the reality is that this was mishandled from the start. My belief is Jaguars owner Shad Khan needed the help from Baalke on the coaching search. And through the process, I know he'd shown flexibility to move on from Baalke to land the right coach. https://t.co/TdudprkkfB

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 22, 2025

#Jags fans should not be surprised owner Shad Khan is parting ways with GM Trent Baalke..

Khan had remained open to someone else coming in and reporting direct to him upon the hiring of a new coach.

The NFL GM vacancy landscape has been changing, and is rapidly evolving……

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 22, 2025

There were many people around the league who believed that Jacksonville would be willing to move on from Trent Baalke for the right person…and now he is out as the Jaguars GM.

— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 22, 2025

Wednesday's decision looks like a terrible process by the Jaguars, but not necessarily because they fired Baalke.

It was Baalke who led the coaching search as the interim general manager back in 2021 that led to the disastrous decision to hire Urban Meyer as head coach. It was Baalke who chose defensive end Travon Walker over burgeoning superstar Aidan Hutchinson—who likely would have been in the running for Defensive Player of the Year this season if a broken left leg didn't cut his campaign in half—with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

As ESPN noted, "nine of Baalke's 38 draft picks from 2021-24 have become full-time starters, including [quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the top overall pick in 2021], running back Travis Etienne Jr. (25th overall in 2021), cornerback Tyson Campbell (33rd overall in 2021), Walker, linebacker Devin Lloyd (27th overall in 2022), right tackle Anton Harrison (27th overall in 2023), and [wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick in 2024]."

But only one of Baalke's picks, Lawrence, has made the Pro Bowl. And while Lawrence has shown flashes, only Thomas, Lloyd (three seasons with over 100 tackles) and Walker (two seasons with double-digit sacks) have shown star upside to this point.

It was also Baalke in 2024 who signed defensive lineman Arik Armstead to a three-year, $51 million contract (two sacks, three tackles for loss this past season); wideout Gabe Davis to a three-year, $39 million deal (20 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns); and also brought aboard offensive lineman Mitch Morse and Ezra Cleveland (the Jags rushed for 101.7 yards per game in 2024, 26th in the NFL) and safety Darnell Savage (51 tackles, one interception).

This has been an epic disaster. So many people knew that Baalke would be an impediment to hiring the new coach..and now after most of the hires have been completed they let Baalke go. Just brutal mismanagement https://t.co/fwcxMvxmO7

— trey wingo (@wingoz) January 22, 2025

From our Championship Wednesday coverage: Trent Baalke is out as #Jaguars GM. pic.twitter.com/idb0Av5Wv6

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2025

No one wanted to work with Trent Baalke? Who could have seen this coming?

— Raymond Summerlin (@RMSummerlin) January 22, 2025

The bigger issue with Jacksonville's process is the timing of Baalke's firing. Rather than cut ties with him earlier in the offseason and seek out his replacement, they waited until midway through a coaching search that had already seen some of the best available options sign elsewhere, potentially in part because they didn't want to work with Baalke.

So it's back to square one for the Jags at both general manager and head coach, which is where they should have been two weeks ago, not now.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are still in the market for a new head coach after potential candidates Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears), Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots) and Aaron Glenn (New York Jets) all went elsewhere.

Now they are in the market for a new general manager as well.

Shortly after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Jets are hiring Glenn on Tuesday, he also reported the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to fire Trent Baalke.

The news led to plenty of reaction on social media:

The timing on this is of course bizarre, but retaining Trent Baalke after the season had drawn no shortage of skepticism around the NFL.

The Jaguars now need a new coach and GM. https://t.co/HLIIZIKEO5

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 22, 2025

NOW THAT WEVE MISSED OUT ON THE GOOD HC CANDIDATES WERE MOVING ON FROM OUR GM WHO WAS RUNNING THE SEARCH COME ON

— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 22, 2025

Dysfunctional teams do dysfunctional things @BarstoolBigCat.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 22, 2025

Big move out of Jacksonville.

There’s been plenty talk around the NFL on impact of Trent Baalke’s presence for head coach candidates in Jags ongoing search. Now, Jags start anew at HC and GM. https://t.co/cbppL5d2fy

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) January 22, 2025

Ummm, a little late!

But I guess late is better than never? Yikes. https://t.co/ieqJ15172m

— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) January 22, 2025

Better late than never, but the reality is that this was mishandled from the start. My belief is Jaguars owner Shad Khan needed the help from Baalke on the coaching search. And through the process, I know he'd shown flexibility to move on from Baalke to land the right coach. https://t.co/TdudprkkfB

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 22, 2025

It’s almost as if nobody wants to work with Baalke and your franchise is suffering immensely because of it pic.twitter.com/A5xPiuhnnp

— Joe Altomare (@joealtomare16) January 22, 2025

Baalke's stranglehold over power has to be studied one day https://t.co/Z786KtV7yE

— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) January 22, 2025

There might not be a bigger fumble this cycle than how the #Jaguars handled this. Top coaching candidates were never going to Jacksonville with Trent Baalke still in place. Now, after all the top names have turned them down, the team (owner) finally realizes it. What a mess. https://t.co/7gIzAfDC4A

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 22, 2025

Waiting until Ben Johnson and Liam Coen turn you down to fire Baalke is so Jaguars https://t.co/Omnx5GC6G4

— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) January 22, 2025

Earlier this month, Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement saying the team fired head coach Doug Pederson but decided to keep Baalke to help lead the search for a new head coach.

Alas, the team still does not have a head coach after many of the prominent candidates went elsewhere. It is easy to speculate with Wednesday's move that Khan and the front office are not happy with the way the search is progressing and decided to move on from the general manager as well.

Khan released a statement expressing his appreciation for Baalke and explaining that interim G.M. Ethan Waugh will now help with the search for a new coach:

Statement from Jaguars owner Shad Khan:

“Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately.  Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his… https://t.co/JpeEaPf16J

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2025

Jacksonville hired Baalke ahead of the 2020 season as its director of player personnel and then promoted him to interim general manager during that campaign following the firing of Dave Caldwell. Baalke remained as the full-time general manager moving forward starting with the 2021 season.

The Jaguars made the playoffs just once during the last five seasons with him on the staff and are coming off a 4-13 record in 2024.

Baalke's time as the general manager of the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-16 was far more successful, as the NFC West team went to three straight NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl from the 2011 campaign through the 2013 one.

However, his relationship with former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh was widely dissected and not believed to be a great one. San Francisco eventually fired the G.M. after the 2016 season.

Now Jacksonville has as well.

The Jacksonville Jaguars reportedly will have to scratch one of their top candidates off the list in their search for a new head coach.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is taking himself out of the running for the position with the Jaguars and will remain in his current role on a new contract that will make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL.

Jacksonville was in the midst of conducting second in-person HC interviews this week with Liam Coen - who’s now out - as well as former Raiders DC Patrick Graham and former Jets HC Robert Saleh. https://t.co/NEZw6ZqWgo

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2025

With Liam Coen off the board, #Bills OC Joe Brady is a name to watch if Jaguars expand their search to next week. He was on the team’s initial list of offensive minds by which Jacksonville was intrigued.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 22, 2025

It was just 24 hours ago that Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the Buccaneers were "bracing for Coen to be offered" Jacksonville's head coaching position. Coen was scheduled for a second interview with the Jaguars on Wednesday, and Stroud noted that "there's a growing belief that it's Coen's job to lose."

Now, Jacksonville will have to pivot. The team had also set up second interviews with Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on Thursday and former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh on Friday, but it could choose to revisit its list of candidates to add more options after Coen dropped out.

It's not hard to see why Coen was pegged as the favorite to land with the Jaguars. In his first season with the Bucs, he spearheaded a unit that ranked third in the NFL with 399.5 total yards per game and fourth with 29.5 points per game. Quarterback Baker Mayfield thrived under Coen's direction, producing career highs of 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns and completing 71.4 percent of his passes.

Jacksonville was certainly hoping that Coen would have a similar effect on rising star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing showing in 2024 after being limited to 10 games due to a shoulder injury and a concussion.

Instead, the Jaguars will need to re-evaluate their options before deciding on the best candidate who can create a bright future for Lawrence and the rest of the team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is one of the top head coaching candidates remaining on the market, and the team reportedly believes his departure is imminent.

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the Buccaneers "are bracing for Coen to be offered" the head coaching position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After learning that Coen was interviewing with the Jags, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield joked that he needs to face him on the golf course before considering leaving him for another Florida team.

"It's going to come down to a one-on-one at (TPC) Sawgrass for him to decide whether he actually takes the interview," Mayfield told Stroud with a laugh.

Now, Coen is scheduled for a second interview with Jacksonville on Wednesday. The team also scheduled second interviews with Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on Thursday and former New York Jets coach Robert Saleh on Friday. However, Stroud noted that "there's a growing belief that it's Coen's job to lose."

The 39-year-old brought the best out of Mayfield in their first season together, as the signal-caller set career highs with 4,500 yards passing and 41 touchdowns and completed 71.4 percent of his passes in 2024 as Tampa Bay earned its fourth straight NFC South title.

The Jags will certainly be hoping that Coen can have the same effect on star quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is coming off a down year after being limited to 10 games due to a shoulder injury and a concussion.

If Coen leaves, the Bucs will have to hire their fourth new offensive coordinator in as many seasons under head coach Todd Bowles. Coen will surely be difficult to replace, but all signs point to him moving a few miles away to Jacksonville.

Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh is attracting attention on the coaching market.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars have scheduled a second interview with Saleh for Friday. His first interview with the franchise happened last week.

Former #Jets head coach Robert Saleh has a second interview with the #Jaguars scheduled for Friday, per sources.

Saleh acquitted himself well in first interview and gets a longer look. pic.twitter.com/PlbsdjAfah

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) January 20, 2025

The Jaguars will host Saleh on Friday after interviews with Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen on Wednesday and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham on Thursday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Saleh also has interviewed for the vacant Dallas Cowboys head coaching job. He was fired during the 2024 season by the Jets after being the franchise's head coach since 2021.

Saleh compiled a 20-36 record during his time with the Jets and the franchise failed to break a postseason drought that has loomed since 2010. Despite these struggles, the Jets did show signs of improvement in 2022 and 2023, though uncertainty at quarterback hurt the team's chances at contention.

He is still regarded as a bright defensive mind and could bring structure to the Jaguars. The team went 4-13 in 2024 despite coming off of two consecutive 9-8 seasons and fired head coach Doug Pederson.

Coen just finished his first season as the Buccaneers offensive coordinator after spending 2023 and 2021 as the offensive coordinator for Kentucky and 2022 as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. He led the Buccaneers to the No. 3 ranking in total offense in 2024 and helped quarterback Baker Mayfield have the strongest statistical season of his career.

Graham was the Raiders defensive coordinator from 2022-2024 and saw his contract expire following the Raiders 5-12 season. Despite the team's struggles, the defense finished in the top half of the league in total defense.

Whoever Jacksonville hires, the franchise will hope they can lead them to some stability.

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who has been the subject of head coaching hiring rumors for years, could finally take the jump this offseason.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer wrote Monday that he thinks Johnson "is much more ready to take a job now than he was the past couple of years."

"I don't know if losing the way Detroit did might lure him back for one last run with Campbell, but I do know his interest in the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars jobs is real," Breer wrote.

NFL insider Josina Anderson reported Johnson is believed to be "deeply considering" the Bears job:

Developing: There are league sources who now believe Ben Johnson is deeply considering the head coach vacancy with the Chicago #Bears, per league sources.

Nothing is official or ever done until it's done!

We'll have to wait and see which team Johnson formally decides on.… pic.twitter.com/KmvzzkJ9rK

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) January 20, 2025

The Lions, who earned a first-round bye after finishing the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, were eliminated Saturday after being upset by the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round.

The early exit means both Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who have both been the subject of hiring rumors this winter, can begin seriously considering jobs outside of Detroit.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported earlier this month that Raiders minority owner Tom Brady "has been doing all he can to woo Johnson" as a replacement for former head coach Antonio Pierce.

Jones then reported after the Lions' surprise playoff exit that the Raiders "are going to make a big push in the coming days" to hire Johnson.

ESPN's Adam Schefter meanwhile reported Sunday that the Raiders were interviewing former Lions executive Lance Newmark for their open general manager position. Newmark is "said to have a strong relationship" with Johnson and Glenn, Schefter noted.

Breer called the reported Newmark interview "proof positive of how serious Johnson is" about considering the open Raiders position.

"Tom Brady's been a difference-maker in Vegas's pursuit," Breer added.

NBC Sports' Mike Florio previously reported that Johnson will prioritize "alignment" with a team's front office when making his decision as to which position to pursue for 2025.

The Jaguars have so far retained general manager Trent Baalke after firing head coach Doug Pederson, but Breer recently reported he would "guess that Trent Baalke is gone" if Johnson is hired.

Johnson has also been tied to the head coaching vacancy in Chicago throughout the season, although general manager Ryan Poles is still in place with the Bears.

Given that the Raiders and Jaguars could change their front office decisions based on Johnson's answer, whichever decision he ultimately makes will impact the 2025 hiring cycle not just for head coaches but for general managers as well.

People inside the Jacksonville Jaguars organization reportedly felt the team's struggles during the 2024 season were at least in part due to the team's mentality.

According to ESPN's Michael DiRocco, "multiple sources inside the organization called the Jaguars undisciplined and not mentally tough."

The Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson after finishing the season with a 4-13 record, a major step back after consecutive 9-8 campaigns and a playoff berth in 2022.

Of those four wins, only two were earned in one-score decisions. Of the Jaguars' 13 losses, ten were decided by seven points or fewer.

Several of those defeats were determined in the last few minutes of games. The Jags fell in Week 4 after allowing the Houston Texans to score a touchdown on Sept. 29 with 18 seconds left on the clock.

Texans take the lead with 18 seconds left!

📺: #JAXvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/8KOj3yqgRw

— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2024

Another missed opportunity came late in Week 9, when quarterback Trevor Lawrence turned a potential game-winning touchdown pass into an end-zone interception against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 3.

Nakobe Dean intercepts Lawrence in the end zone! First career INT#JAXvsPHI pic.twitter.com/RtANcTJs77

— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024

If half of those close decisions had gone the other way, the Jaguars could have been eyeing a return to the playoffs.

Instead, the team's offense and defense were unable to step up in multiple opportunities to close out games, leaving the Jags well out of the postseason and preparing for an offseason marked by leadership turnover.

After announcing Pederson's firing earlier this month, team owner Shahid Khan said he believed the Jaguars were the NFL's "most predictable team on both sides of the ball."

Khan will look to improve his team's unpredictability— and potentially their discipline and mental toughness as well— as the franchise searches for its next head coach. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported before the Detroit Lions' elimination from the Divisional round that Lions coordinators Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson are "both considered to be very high up as far as where the Jaguars go and where they like."

After interviewing coveted coaching candidate Ben Johnson during the Detroit Lions' first-round bye in the NFC Playoffs, the Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly turning their attention to another hot-shot offensive coordinator.

According to Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports, the Jaguars are interviewing Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen on Wednesday, and he's "believed to be a top name to watch" for Jacksonville's opening.

It makes sense that the Jaguars won't put all of their eggs into the Johnson basket, as he's viewed as one of the top candidates on the market who could land any job he chooses.

In addition to Jacksonville, he also interviewed with the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots last week. The Patriots chose to hire Mike Vrabel, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported on Wednesday that there's "a lot of momentum building" between Johnson and the Raiders.

If the Jaguars lose out on Johnson, Coen would be an intriguing fallback option. Upon joining the Buccaneers for the 2024 season, he helped the team finish third in the NFL in total offense with 399.5 yards per game and fourth in scoring with 29.5 points per game.

Tampa Bay star quarterback Baker Mayfield had the best season of his seven-year career under Coen's direction, recording career highs of 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and 71.4 percent passing. Coen was also able to get the best out of rookie running back Bucky Irving, as the 2024 fourth-round pick led the team with 207 carries for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Jaguars have similarly talented pieces on offense like quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne Jr. and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr., so an offensive-minded coach like Coen would undoubtedly be a strong fit. However, Schultz pointed out that Jacksonville's "search is still considered early," so the team will be doing its due diligence before making its eventual hire.

There's "real buzz" about former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh's chances to get the open Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching position, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.

"This one might feel like it's out of left field, but there's some real buzz about Saleh's chances of securing this job," Rosenblatt wrote.

"Saleh might have been helped by Jets owner Woody Johnson's decision to fire him in Week 5, especially because of what happened afterward. The Jets were significantly worse after interim coach Jeff Ulbrich took over, particularly on defense, where Saleh had built the Jets into one of the league's Top-5 defenses in both 2022 and '23."

Rosenblatt made those remarks amid a piece on the NFL's current five head coaching openings. He noted how things could transpire "based on conversations with sources from around the league" in addition on his own opinion on what teams could be pursuing.

He connected the Jaguars (who are looking for a new head coach after firing Doug Pederson) and Saleh, who the Jets fired on Oct. 8 after a 2-3 start. He went 20-36 in three-plus seasons as New York's head coach.

Interest is clearly high in Saleh's services. The Las Vegas Raiders also interviewed Saleh on Thursday, Jan. 16 for their head coaching gig, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. He's also a candidate to become the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner, who said a reunion is "possible, if not likely."

Jacksonville announced Tuesday that it's completed an interview with Saleh.

Saleh, 45, began coaching in the NFL with the 2005 Houston Texans as a defensive intern. Nine years later, he joined the Jags as their linebackers coach, staying in Duval County for three seasons.

Saleh was the 49ers' defensive coordinator from 2017-2020 before taking the Jets' head coaching gig.