The Jaguars are still in need of both an offensive coordinator and a general manager, and the favorites for those positions could be coming into focus. Multiple sources tell Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 that Rams pass game specialist Nate Scheelhaase – who interviewed for the OC post last week – is now the leading candidate for the the job, while Albert Breer of SI.com hears former Titans GM Jon Robinson and current Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham are being consistently connected to Jacksonville’s GM gig.
The Jags recently hired former Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as their head coach, and Coen confirmed he will call the club’s offensive plays. That could stand to limit his pool of OC candidates, though several of his recent interviewees (including Scheelhaase) also drew interest elsewhere.
Scheelhaase, 34, began his coaching career at Illinois, his alma mater, in 2015. He joined Iowa State in 2018 as the school’s running backs coach and eventually moved his way up to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2023. Rams head coach Sean McVay plucked him out of the collegiate ranks last year, and Los Angeles finished in the top-10 in terms of passing yards per game in 2024. Working under McVay has boosted the stock of many coaches during his tenure with the Rams, and Scheelhaase is apparently no exception.
Although he would not have the opportunity to call plays, the Jaguars’ OC position would give Scheelhaase the chance to further build his resume by helping franchise passer Trevor Lawrence take the long-awaited next step in his development. Plus, the team is not devoid of skill-position talent, with Lawrence and promising young players like WR Brian Thomas Jr. and RB Tank Bigsby under club control for multiple seasons.
The unusual route that led to Coen’s hiring also gave him leverage that a first-time HC rarely enjoys and afforded him the opportunity to select the Jags’ next GM. The only candidate who had been connected to the job prior to now is Tampa Bay’s assistant general manager, Mike Greenberg. Recent reports noted Coen was “pushing hard” to poach Greenberg from the Bucs, but as of the time of this writing, no interview has been scheduled (and those earlier reports suggested Greenberg may not want the job anyway).
Robinson and Cunningham, however, are certainly qualified candidates. Robinson took over the Titans’ front office in 2016, and during his five-plus years at the helm – he was surprisingly ousted in the middle of the 2022 campaign despite having earned a lengthy extension just a few months prior – Tennessee advanced to the playoffs four times. Those postseason berths came in spite of the fact that the team’s rosters were not generally viewed as elite, so while some may say coaching was largely responsible for the Titans’ success, Robinson can point to his scouting and roster construction abilities as a testament to his worthiness as a GM.
This year’s cycle is the first time Robinson’s name has substantively appeared in PFR pages since his Tennessee firing, but he did interview for the Jets’ GM post back in December. According to Breer, the 48-year-old’s experience and his time in the AFC South could be key selling points for the Jags.
Cunningham, coincidentally, was one of the candidates the Titans interviewed to replace Robinson several years ago, and he took two interviews with Tennessee this year as the club found itself with yet another GM vacancy. The current Bears exec is no stranger to the GM carousel and is seen as a rising star in the personnel world, thanks in large part to his own scouting acumen. He reportedly turned down the Cardinals’ general manager position in 2023, and after losing out to Adam Peters for the Commanders’ GM job last year, Chicago awarded him an extension.
Still only 39, Cunningham may again opt to remain in his current position since he did not have the opportunity to hire the Jags’ head coach and since Coen has unique power for a first-time skipper. But if he believes in Jacksonville’s core talent, he could finally find himself atop a team’s front office.
