Headlines

Jacksonville Jaguars News & Rumors

2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at February 6, 2022 10:15 pm

Last year, seven NFL teams opted to make a head coaching change. Sean Payton stepping away from the Saints created nine full-time vacancies available this year.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-7-22 (1:45pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

63 comments Arizona Cardinals Buffalo Bills Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants PFR Originals Philadelphia Eagles San Francisco 49ers Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Coaching Rumors: Saints, Texans, McDaniel, Giants, Broncos

By | at February 6, 2022 8:12 pm

The Saints began their cycle of head coaching interviews this week, conducting meetings with the following candidates: former Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson (1/30; hired by Jaguars), former Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores (2/1), Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (2/2), their current special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi (2/3), their current defensive coordinator Dennis Allen (2/4), and Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (2/6).

New Orleans also requested permission to interview Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. There were some early reports that permission had been granted, but that hasn’t been confirmed and nothing has been scheduled, as of yet. ESPN’s Saints’ reporter Mike Triplett also mentioned that current offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was offered an opportunity to interview for the position, but Carmichael declined. Despite being a part of Sean Payton‘s staff since Payton’s tenure in New Orleans began back in 2006, it appears Carmichael has no interest in running the show in the Big Easy. Whether he has retirement or another destination in mind or he is just comfortable in his role, Carmichael will not be the Saints’ next head coach.

Here are a few more notes from the ongoing coaching searches and staff changes throughout the NFL, starting with the other head coaching vacancy:

  • Houston recently narrowed their list of head coaching candidates down to three: Brian Flores, former quarterback Josh McCown, and Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Well, according to USA Today’s Josina Anderson, the Texans are now down to two candidates, with Gannon being informed Saturday that he will not be receiving the head coaching position, leaving Flores and McCown as the two remaining names.
  • New Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel reportedly has interest in holding on to some of the defensive assistants currently under contract in Miami, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. This includes current defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who followed Flores to Miami from New England. The lack of staff turnover would be a positive for a defensive unit that played well during the team’s seven-game win-streak in the back half of the season.
  • The Giants were able to add a piece to Brian Daboll‘s new staff while missing out on another today. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweeted out that Andy Bischoff will become the Giants’ new tight ends coach. Bischoff followed David Culley from Baltimore to Houston and will make the lateral move over from the Texans with their head coaching position still in the air. Unfortunately, the Giants did not get their running backs coach, as Bruce Feldman of The Athletic tweeted out that Deland McCullough has turned down Daboll’s offer, choosing instead to remain the running backs coach at Notre Dame, believing it gives him the best opportunity to eventually become a head coach.
  • New Broncos’ head coach Nathaniel Hackett is also looking to fill out his staff. The Broncos are planning to interview Jon Embree who most recently held the position of tight ends coach/assistant head coach in San Francisco. Embree parted ways with the Niners after being asked to take a 60 percent pay cut after San Francisco’s NFC Championship loss. The man who has coached George Kittle since he was drafted in 2017 would be a nice addition to Hackett’s system.
4 comments Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles

AFC Coaching Notes: Broncos, Jaguars, Chiefs

By | at February 5, 2022 9:47 am

As Nathaniel Hackett continues to build his staff with the Broncos, the new head coach interviewed many of the team’s holdover position coaches this week, reports Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The majority of these coaches are “pretty much on hold,” but a handful of coaches are starting to get clarity on their job security.

As Klis notes, defensive backs coach Christian Parker is one of the coaches who will return next season. The 30-year-old has had a rapid rise through the coaching ranks. Prior to getting hired as the Broncos DBs coach in 2021, he spent time as the defensive quality control coach with the Packers. Of course, Hackett was on that Green Bay staff, so there’s already familiarity between the two.

Meanwhile, long-time coach Reggie Herring won’t be retained (per Klis on Twitter). The linebackers coach had been with the organization since their Super Bowl-winning 2015 campaign. He previously spent time as the linebackers coach with the Bears, Texans (two stints), and Cowboys.

More coaching notes out of the AFC:

  • The Jaguars won’t be retaining special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). The former player was added to Urban Meyer’s staff last offseason. The 43-year-old previously spent time with the Seahawks, serving as assistant ST coach, assistant defensive backs coach, and secondary coach.
  • SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan tweets that Andrew Breiner could be a candidate for Doug Pederson’s new Jaguars staff, potentially as quarterbacks coach. Breiner was last in the NFL in 2020 when he was the passing game analyst for the Eagles, and he spent the 2021 campaign in the college ranks as the offensive coordinator at FIU.
  • The Chiefs have hired Joe Cullen as their new defensive line coach, with former DL coach Brendan Daly moving to linebackers coach (per a team announcement on Twitter). Cullen spent last season as the Jaguars defensive coordinator, and he had talks with the Ravens and Colts about their DC vacancies. He was a DL coach for more than a decade during stints with the Lions, Jaguars, Browns, Buccaneers, and Ravens. Daley had spent the past three seasons as the Chiefs DL coach.
  • The Bills are expected to hire Vikings offensive line coach Phil Rauscher in the same role, reports ESPN’s Courtney Cronin (via Twitter). Rauscher was one of several Vikings coaches who were given permission to seek other coaching opportunities. The 36-year-old had previous NFL coaching gigs with the Broncos and Washington.
  • Former Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly is in talks to join the Titans staff, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter). Only 35, Kelly had a quick rise through the Texans organization. After starting as an offensive quality control coach in 2014, Kelly was eventually promoted to assistant offensive line coach, tight ends coach, and (ultimately) OC. He was fired by the organization after the season. Kelly has ties to Titans coach Mike Vrabel stemming from their stints in Houston.
0 comments Buffalo Bills Denver Broncos Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Tennessee Titans

Candidates For Doug Pederson’s Jaguars Staff

By | at February 4, 2022 8:50 am

With Doug Pederson in place as the new head coach of the Jaguars, his focus will now turn to building a staff. Two of the early candidates to be named for consideration are Colts offensive assistant Press Taylor and Buccaneers inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network).

[Related: Jaguars Hire Doug Pederson As HC]

Taylor has a connection to Pederson dating back to the latter’s time in Philadelphia. The 34-year-old’s NFL coaching career began with the Eagles in 2013. Two years later, he started working with the team’s quarterbacks, something that continued throughout his tenure. 2020 saw him add the title of passing game coordinator, though the Eagles ranked at the bottom of the league in most major passing categories that year. He spent this past season with former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich in Indianapolis.

Caldwell would also be a familiar face for Pederson. He started on the sidelines with the Eagles, after an 11-year playing career as a middle linebacker (which included one year of overlap with Pederson during his playing days). He’s coached that position with the Eagles, Cardinals, Jets and, for the past three seasons, Bucs. The 50-year-old interviewed for the defensive coordinator vacancy in Baltimore earlier this month.

Garafolo doesn’t specify what position Taylor might be in consideration for, but notes that Caldwell is a candidate for what would be his first DC post. At a minimum, the hiring process for Pederson’s staff figures to be much more straightforward than that of the HC search.

2 comments Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jaguars Hire Doug Pederson As HC

By | at February 3, 2022 9:21 pm

Jacksonville’s winding path toward hiring a head coach is coming to an end. Doug Pederson will land the job, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Jaguars have since announced the hire.

Pederson interviewed twice with the team, which is close to bringing in ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman for a high-ranking front office position alongside Trent Baalke. Pederson, who led the Eagles to a win in Super Bowl LII, did not coach last season but was connected to multiple jobs during this year’s hiring cycle.

The former Philadelphia HC will soon work with another highly drafted quarterback, and Pederson spoke with Trevor Lawrence on the phone earlier Thursday night, Schefter tweets. While Pederson’s final season with Carson Wentz ended in the Eagles radically changing course, the veteran play-caller will have a chance to work with one of the top QB prospects to enter the NFL in many years.

At the end of this search, the Jags were also linked to recent Raiders interim HC Rich Bisaccia and Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich. The latter was believed to be in talks with the Jags about a deal last week, but momentum stalled. The former Jacksonville first-round pick may well have bowed out of this search earlier Thursday. Leftwich indeed balked at pairing with Baalke, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.

Pederson, 54, was the first candidate to meet with the Jaguars during the new in-season interview period. He also met with the Bears and Saints in the weeks following that initial Jags discussion.

Pederson clashed with Eagles management during his Philadelphia tenure, and SI.com’s Albert Breer notes his interest in the Jacksonville job cooled a bit because of the Jags’ commitment to Baalke. But Spielman’s potential arrival — for a position that could outrank Baalke’s — may have been enough to convince Pederson. The two share an agent, Breer adds (Twitter links).

The former Chiefs offensive coordinator went 42-37-1 as Eagles HC, with 2020’s disastrous 4-11-1 season heavily impacting that mark. Still, Pederson oversaw one of the most remarkable playoff runs in modern NFL history. The Eagles won Super Bowl LII as the NFC’s No. 1 seed but did so despite being underdogs in all three playoff games without Wentz. With notable assistance from then-OC Frank Reich, Pederson guided future Jaguar Nick Foles to two dominant performances to close out the Eagles’ championship run. The Eagles did not win 10 games in a season again under Pederson, however, with Wentz not playing up to his MVP-level form of previous years.

The Jaguars are attempting to shake off Shad Khan‘s poor Urban Meyer hire, and the team is in need of upgrades at most positions, having gone 4-29 over the past two seasons. Lawrence represents a potentially high-end centerpiece, adding to this job’s appeal despite the franchise’s struggles for most of the past decade and change. The Jags are also set to hold nearly $60MM in cap space, providing more resources for a rebuild. If nothing else, Khan figures to give Pederson plenty of time after the quick Meyer unraveling.

38 comments Jacksonville Jaguars Newsstand Transactions

Byron Leftwich To Bow Out Of Jaguars’ HC Search?

By | at February 3, 2022 4:52 pm

For a short span last week, Byron Leftwich looked like the frontrunner to become the next Jaguars head coach. A week later, the former Jags quarterback looks likelier to stay in Tampa.

Leftwich is expected to remove his name from consideration for this position soon, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. While Leftwich has also been connected to the Saints’ HC vacancy, the sides have not yet scheduled an interview.

The three-year Buccaneers offensive coordinator was believed to be negotiating with the team that once drafted him last week, following his second interview. But those talks did not last long. Cardinals exec Adrian Wilson was also linked to joining Leftwich, replacing GM Trent Baalke, but the latter remains in place as Jags GM. A report early this offseason indicated Baalke’s presence could deter certain candidates from pursuing this job, and the Jags have since been in contact with ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman for a position that could outrank Baalke’s.

This has become quite the complex search, featuring some moving parts. Matt Eberflus was the first to receive a second Jags interview, but he opted for a Bears HC offer. The Jags soon sought a Kevin O’Connell interview, but timing nixed it. The Vikings now have an agreement with the two-year Rams OC. Doug Pederson and Rich Bisaccia remain in the mix for the Jacksonville gig, while Leftwich could well be sticking around in Tampa post-Tom Brady. Were Leftwich to move into a head coaching position, Bruce Arians would be Tampa Bay’s play-caller, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets. Arians last called plays with the Cardinals.

Here is how the Jags’ HC search looks:

10 comments Jacksonville Jaguars Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Latest On Jaguars, Rick Spielman

By | at February 3, 2022 2:38 pm

There are more signs pointing towards Rick Spielman being hired by the Jaguars. New details, more importantly, indicate that the position he is close to taking on would outrank that of general manager Trent Baalke (Twitter link via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones). 

[Related: Jaguars Interview Rick Spielman For Non-GM Position]

Specifically, Jones states that “momentum is gaining” for Spielman to “ultimately get a football position that reports directly to owner Shad Khan and is above [Baalke]”. That is an important distinction, given the fact that it was reported earlier this week that Spielman’s role was likely to be that of an assistant GM, allowing Baalke to be more ‘hands-on’ rather than handling day-to-day operations.

Earlier in the day, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Spielman is headed for, essentially, a president role – something which many thought he would be transitioned to in Minnesota before he was fired. He adds that “there is progress being made” towards the hire becoming official. If it does, that would go a long way to easing concerns over the presence of Baalke, which has reportedly turned certain head coaching candidates away from the team.

On the point of the Jaguars’ HC vacancy, Garafolo also notes that Doug Pederson “would have been high on the Vikings’ list” if Spielman had remained in Minnesota. Between that, and the fact that Pederson has interviewed twice with Jacksonville, the Spielman hire becoming official would certainly point to the former Super Bowl champion getting the inside track for the HC job.

4 comments Jacksonville Jaguars

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/2/22

By | at February 2, 2022 9:10 pm

Today’s reserve/futures deals from around the NFL:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

0 comments Jacksonville Jaguars Jordan Matthews Kansas City Chiefs San Francisco 49ers Transactions

Jaguars Part Ways With DC Joe Cullen

By | at February 2, 2022 8:43 pm

While much of Urban Meyer‘s staff remains under contract in Jacksonville, the organization is still moving on from one of their core coaches. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), the Jaguars have parted ways with defensive coordinator Joe Cullen.

Cullen was hired one year ago by Jacksonville to take over as DC on Meyer‘s staff. The 54-year-old left his post as the defensive line coach in Baltimore to take the gig, though he already had experience with the Jags in that same position. He has also worked with the Buccaneers, Browns and Lions at the NFL level.

This divorce always seemed inevitable. Since the season has ended, Cullen has been connected to defensive coordinator gigs with the Ravens and Colts.

The Jaguars are still hunting for a new head coach, and there’s a good chance that hire will want to bring on their own staff. While the Jaguars parted ways with Cullen today, he’ll probably be the first of many current coaches to be let go by the organization.

2 comments Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars Interview Rick Spielman For Non-GM Position

By | at February 1, 2022 10:42 am

Amidst the confusion and controversy surrounding the Jaguars’ head coaching search, there has been a development of the front office side of the organization. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the team conducted an in-person interview with former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on Monday (Twitter link). 

[Related: Latest On Jaguars’ Head Coaching Search]

Rapoport details that Spielman interviewed for a “high-level front office position”. However, as his colleague Mike Garafolo tweets, the role he is potentially taking on is not that of GM. That would mean incumbent Trent Baalke, who has been the source of much dismay in the Jags’ fanbase and is thought to be an impediment to the teams’ search for a head coach, is likely to remain in place.

Further to that point, Mark Long of the Associated Press reports (via Twitter) that Baalke was thought to be looking for an executive “to take on an assistant GM role to handle day-to-day operations”. The reason for that, he continues, would be to allow Baalke “to be more hands-on with players on the field”. It would appear, then, that a hire like this would alter, but in a sense, expand, Baalke’s duties in Jacksonville.

Spielman was fired along with HC Mike Zimmer on ‘Black Monday’. That brought his 16-year tenure with the team – which included the last 10 seasons as GM – to an end. While the team is clearly set to move in a new direction, there was a good deal of success during the 59-year-old’s time there. If he were to come to Jacksonville, he would at a minimum represent an experienced voice in front office decisions, and potentially even quell the concerns of interested candidates wary of having to work under Baalke.

9 comments Jacksonville Jaguars
Show all
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors