Trevor Lawrence Declares For 2021 NFL Draft
No surprise here. On Wednesday, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence formally declared for the 2021 NFL Draft. 
“I’ll look back at these three years and have the best memories,” Lawrence said (Twitter link). “I really feel like I’m a man now and I’m ready to take on those challenges. Just super excited for life ahead. The best is always yet to come, but I’m grateful for Clemson and I’m going to miss it.”
As the projected No. 1 overall pick, Lawrence long seemed ticketed for the Jets. But, with some late-season signs of life, the Jets ceded the league’s cellar to the Jaguars. There are other noteworthy passers in this class — including Ohio State’s Justin Fields — but none compare to Lawrence, who is viewed as the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.
“Looking back on it, I hope my legacy is that I was a great teammate and a great person overall, more than how I played,” Lawrence said. “It’s how I treated people. I want that to be the main thing I’m known for.”
Lawrence threw for 3,153 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions in his final season. And, with 69.2% of his passes completed, he finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy, despite losing time to injury. The Jaguars will explore other prospects for the No. 1 overall pick, but it would be a stunner to see them take anyone other than Lawrence.
Jaguars To Interview Eric Bieniemy, Robert Saleh, Raheem Morris
Clarity emerged in the Jaguars’ Doug Marrone replacement search Tuesday. The Jags are set to interview Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and former Falcons interim head coach Raheem Morris this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
While Urban Meyer has been the name most closely connected to this search, no interview has been scheduled. Bieniemy will speak with Jags brass Wednesday, with Morris and Saleh interviews on tap for Thursday and Saturday, respectively.
Now a regular on the HC interview circuit, Bieniemy has been Kansas City’s OC since Patrick Mahomes‘ QB1 tenure began. While Bieniemy is not the Chiefs’ primary play-caller, he has long been expected to land a coaching gig this year. He may hit for the cycle in coaching interviews as well. The Chargers have requested an interview with their former running back. The Lions have already interviewed Bieniemy, while the Jets and Falcons will speak with him as well.
Saleh would be an interesting hire. He has a history with the Jaguars during Shad Khan‘s ownership tenure. The current 49ers defensive play-caller spent three seasons (2014-16) as Jacksonville’s linebackers coach. A Michigan native, Saleh has been most closely connected to the Lions job and has already interviewed with the Falcons. The Bolts submitted an interview request as well.
Re-emerging on the HC radar for the first time in many years, Morris interviewed for the Falcons job he held during this season’s second half and has come up in the Raiders’ defensive coordinator search. The Jags are the first non-Falcons franchise to request a Morris HC meeting, however.
The Jaguars have also requested an interview with Titans OC Arthur Smith, joining every other HC-seeking team in that regard.
GM Notes: Colts, Ballard, Jets, Douglas, Broncos, Kelly, Texans, Khan, Jaguars, Fontenot
We’ve been passing along a ton of notes on GM interviews and searches, so we thought we’d switch things up a little bit with a couple of non-vacancy related GM items. First off, Colts GM Chris Ballard has done a great job leading Indy through some bumpy times, and it sounds like he’s about to be rewarded. The Colts intend on extending his contract, which runs through May of 2022, before training camp starts in July, owner Jim Irsay told Zak Keefer of The Athletic. Head coach Frank Reich is under contract longer so his situation isn’t as pressing, but Irsay also told Keefer that Reich isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, which obviously isn’t surprising.
Even after Josh McDaniels famously backed out of taking the head coaching job at the last minute, and even after Andrew Luck retired right before the start of last season, Ballard has done a commendable job keeping things steady and under control. He’s also made some great middle round draft picks, his blockbuster trade for DeForest Buckner has worked out really well, and his bold move to sign Philip Rivers this offseason resulted in an 11-5 record and a playoff berth. The Colts have a few question marks, but things seem well set up for the future, and Ballard will be the architect for a long time it sounds like.
Here’s more from front offices around the league:
- The Jets fired Adam Gase this week, and when they hire a new head coach, there could be a change in the hierarchy to go with it. Recently Jets coaches and GMs have both reported directly to owners/chairman Woody and Christopher Johnson, which has led to a fair bit of drama and chaos. Now with Joe Douglas as GM, that might no longer be the case. Christopher raved about Douglas during his end of year media availability, and said “a change in structure is under consideration, no question,” meaning the new head coach may work under Douglas and report to him, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets. It looks like Douglas is cementing his grip on power in the building this offseason, and the new head coach might not have as much clout within the building as guys like Gase, Todd Bowles, and Rex Ryan did.
- Ok, now back to interviews. As soon as the Broncos announced their major shakeup yesterday with John Elway hiring a GM and giving up roster control, people highlighted Champ Kelly as a name to watch. Kelly, currently an exec with the Bears, was in Denver from 2007-14. Now the interest is official, as the team has requested an interview with him, Mike Klis of Denver 9 News tweets. It’s early in the process, but by all accounts Kelly is one of the favorites for the job. The most interesting thing to come out of this search though might be the dynamic between the new GM and Elway, who will still be lingering over the whole operation as president of football ops. It has the potential to get messy.
- The Texans continued their search as they start from scratch in the post-Bill O’Brien era, interviewing Steelers exec Omar Khan on Monday. Khan has been in Pittsburgh in various roles since all the way back in 2001, and currently serves as their chief contract negotiator. He’s received a bit of GM buzz in the past, but not a ton.
- Meanwhile, the Jaguars have requested to interview Saints assistant GM Terry Fontenot, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. We’ve already heard that Fontenot will interview with the Lions and Falcons, so he appears to be a hot candidate this time around. We heard yesterday that Fontenot is a “very strong” candidate for the Detroit job.
Jaguars Request Raheem Morris Interview
The Jaguars have requested an interview with Raheem Morris, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The Falcons’ interim head coach is also up for the job in Atlanta, but he may have better odds elsewhere.
[RELATED: Latest On Urban Meyer]
Morris began the year as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator before taking over for Dan Quinn midway through the year. After he took over, the Falcons posted a 4-7 record and showed some signs of improvement. Between that and his time with the Bucs, he has a lifetime 21-38 record as a head coach.
Much of the chatter surrounding the Jaguars’ vacancy has been centered around Urban Meyer. But, depending on who you ask, the big-name college coach may be seeking upwards of $12MM per year to jump to the pros. Also, there’s still a chance that he could pass on the chance to jump to the NFL, or that someone like Morris could shine brighter throughout the process.
The Jaguars are also looking at 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as well as Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. And, at the same time, they’re in the midst of their GM search. On Tuesday morning, former Browns GM Ray Farmer became the latest name in that group.
Urban Meyer Not Seeking $12MM/Year?
On Monday, it was reported that Urban Meyer is seeking $12MM a year to coach in the NFL. However, that figure is not accurate, according to a source who spoke with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The former University of Florida and Ohio State coach has been heavily connected to the Jaguars and is said to have drawn interest from at least one other team. He’s figures to have lots of leverage in talks, so the $12MM/year mark doesn’t seem that outlandish. For reference, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and Saints HC Sean Payton are believed to make roughly $15MM per year. Bill Belichick, meanwhile, is the clubhouse leader with $20MM per annum.
Meyer may not have the NFL experience of other candidates, but he does come with a stellar resume, including three national championships. Two of those titles came in Florida, giving him even greater name recognition and drawing power in the Jacksonville area. In the past, Meyer has flirted with the pros only to stay in the college ranks. This time around, teams believe that he’s serious about coming to the NFL. And, of course, the opportunity to develop Clemson superstar Trevor Lawrence is a major plus.
In addition to the 56-year-old Meyer, the Jaguars have also been connected to 38-year-old Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. They’re not alone — all six teams with vacancies are set to talk to him.
Jaguars To Interview Ray Farmer
The Jaguars are set to interview Ray Farmer for their GM vacancy, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The former Browns GM has been out of the limelight since his 2015 ouster, but he’s had momentum as a potential candidate in this cycle. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Fire Doug Marrone]
This marks the second interview Farmer has received since the Browns let him go. In the summer of 2019, the Texans met with him just 24 hours after firing Brian Gaine. Farmer’s two-year Cleveland tenure did not go well, but he has been featured as a Fritz Pollard Alliance candidate in previous offseasons. He’s also done some consulting work for the Rams.
It’s worth noting that Farmer’s win-loss record wasn’t the only blemish on his Browns resume. In 2015, the NFL suspended Farmer four games for texting coaches during games in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars are also in the midst of their head coaching search. After firing Doug Marrone on Monday, the Jaguars are believed to be targeting former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
All 6 Teams With HC Openings To Interview Titans OC Arthur Smith
Well it wouldn’t really be possible for Arthur Smith to be in higher demand right now. All six teams with head coach vacancies either already have or will request to interview the Titans offensive coordinator, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Those six teams, of course, are the Chargers, Jets, Jaguars, Lions, Falcons, and Texans. The Jags and Texans are both in the same division as Smith. Teams can’t prevent an assistant from interviewing for a promotion to head coach, so Smith can make the rounds if he so chooses. Still only 38, Smith has seen his stock take a meteoric rise in league circles the past couple of seasons even though just two years ago he was a tight ends coach who had never called plays before.
Smith joined the Titans as a quality control coach in 2011, and was so highly regarded within the building that he was able to survive multiple head coach regimes. After Matt LaFleur was hired to be the Packers head coach after the 2018 season, Mike Vrabel promoted Smith to offensive coordinator, and the rest is history.
Ryan Tannehill has had a sudden resurgence to become one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks under Smith’s tutelage, and the running game led by Derrick Henry has been unstoppable at times. Whether it’s this year or not, it seems like only a matter of time before Smith lands a head coaching gig and becomes the next young offensive mind to lead a team alongside the likes of Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and LaFleur.
Urban Meyer Wants $12MM+ To Coach In NFL?
Coaching searches around the league are only just getting started, and the only place where there’s a clear favorite right now is Jacksonville with Urban Meyer. By all accounts, the job appears to be his to lose if he wants it. But if the legendary college coach is going to make the jump to the NFL, he has a baseline amount of compensation he’s seeking.
Meyer is apparently asking for $12MM annually on any deal, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. That might sound like a lot for a coach but as Florio points out, it’s not that out of sync with the current market. He writes that Matt Rhule got nearly $9MM annually from the Panthers despite being relatively unproven.
In a subsequent tweet discussing his piece, Florio said that Pete Carroll is believed to make over $15MM per year from the Seahawks, that the Saints’ Sean Payton is somewhere around there, and that Bill Belichick is believed to get over $20MM annually from the Patriots.
With the Jags clinching the first overall pick in the draft a couple weeks ago, that job obviously became a lot more attractive. Meyer has reportedly begun lining up a staff for a potential jump, and it now seems more likely than not to happen. Assuming Jaguars owner Shad Khan is willing to meet his financial demands, it wouldn’t be surprising if something came together quickly here.
2021 NFL Draft Order
The 2020 regular season is in the books. For more than half of the NFL, that means the offseason is officially underway.
The league’s 18 non-playoff teams now know where they stand in the 2021 NFL Draft order. For the remaining clubs, the playoffs will help determine their position. Here’s the rundown of the 2021 NFL Draft order, thus far:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinatti Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
Jaguars Fire Doug Marrone
The Jaguars and Doug Marrone have parted ways. On Monday morning, the Jaguars fired their head coach to join the Jets, Lions, Falcons, and Texans on the vacancy list. 
[RELATED: Jets Fire Adam Gase]
This was the long expected move, though the Jags did not make it official until after the season finale. Marrone narrowly avoided an ouster after the 2019 season and stayed on board after the dismissal of GM Dave Caldwell. Marrone had fans in the front office, but it would have been a surprise to see him stay after a 16-game losing streak.
“I am committed and determined to deliver winning football to the City of Jacksonville,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said. “Realizing that goal requires a fresh start throughout our football operations, and with that in mind I spoke this morning with Doug Marrone to express my gratitude for his hard work over the past four seasons as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
“I’ll always appreciate Doug’s passion, grit and class, and I’m confident he will enjoy success in the next chapter of his career. As the search for our new general manager continues, now the quest begins to find a head coach who shares my ambition for the Jacksonville Jaguars and our fans, whose loyalty and faith are overdue to be rewarded.”
From here, the Jaguars may focus their attention on Urban Meyer. The former Florida and Ohio State coach has reportedly made inquiries about future Jacksonville staff members, though Meyer counts at least one other NFL team as a suitor. And, of course, Meyer has a history of cold feet, so the Jaguars will be doing their due diligence with other candidates. Despite their struggles, the Jaguars shouldn’t have trouble attracting big-name coaches. With the No. 1 overall pick and $100MM+ in cap space, they arguably offer the best situation of any coachless club.