Jacksonville Jaguars News & Rumors

Bears To Hire Press Taylor

January 29th, 2025 at 9:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

Press Taylor‘s time as the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator is over with Liam Coen in the process of building his first Jacksonville staff. Taylor has not needed to wait long to find his next opportunity, however.

The ex-Jags OC is being hired by the Bears, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Taylor will take on the role of pass-game coordinator while working under Ben Johnson. The Bears recently added Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator, a role he has not previously held in the NFL.

Taylor, by contrast, worked in that capacity during his time in Jacksonville. Hired as an initial member of Doug Pederson‘s staff, the 37-year-old called plays for the team in 2023 and continued in that capacity for this past campaign. Things did not go according to plan either time, something which caught the attention of former general manager Trent Baalke.

A November report noted Baalke’s preference for this past offseason would have been for Pederson to fire Taylor and bring in a new OC. That did not happen, and a dismal campaign ended with Pederson and (eventually) Baalke being dismissed. Now, as Coen weighs his options, Taylor will once again find himself on the move.

The latter has been in the NFL since 2013, having spent his first eight years on the sidelines with the Eagles. The final three years of that stretch included the role of quarterbacks coach, and in 2020 Taylor also served as Philadelphia’s pass-game coordinator. He has experience in such a position, one which he will handle in 2025 for the Bears.

Providing quarterback Caleb Williams with stability in Year 2 and beyond will be critical for Chicago. Johnson, to no surprise, will call plays during his first campaign as a head coach, but the success he, Doyle and Taylor have in overseeing the development of last April’s No. 1 pick will go a long way in determining the Bears’ success. A strong run in the Windy City could also help rebuild Taylor’s stock around the league with respect to future OC opportunities.

Jaguars Interview Nate Scheelhaase For OC

January 29th, 2025 at 3:51pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jaguars have completed an interview with Nate Scheelhaase for the offensive coordinator job on Liam Coen‘s staff, per a team announcement.

Scheelhaase, the first official candidate for the Jaguars’ OC gig, is currently the Rams’ pass game specialist. He joined Sean McVay‘s staff in 2024 after starting his coaching career at the college level, first as an offensive assistant at Illinois, his alma mater, before moving to Iowa State under Matt Campbell. Scheelhause worked his way up to the Cyclones’ offensive coordinator gig in 2023 before the NFL came calling.

The 34-year-old helped the Rams finish as a top-10 passing offense despite injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. His one year as Iowa State’s OC also yielded success, with a 99-point scoring increase over their previous season.

Coen, who also began his NFL coaching career with the Rams, is unsurprisingly targeting McVay lieutenants to fill his staff. His list of defensive coordinator candidates includes ex-Rams secondary coach Chris Cooley and the team’s current defensive pass game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant.

Scheelhaase has just one year of NFL coaching under his belt, but Coen is likely to call offensive plays in Jacksonville. That would allow him to take on a younger, less-experienced OC who can grow in the role and may not be poached next offseason.

Jaguars Add Jonathan Cooley, Anthony Campanile To List Of DC Candidates

January 28th, 2025 at 10:44pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jaguars are continuing to interview defensive coordinator candidates for Liam Coen‘s new staff, adding Anthony Campanile and Jonathan Cooley to their list of candidates.

Campanile, the Packers’ linebackers coach and running game coordinator, interviewed for the job on Tuesday, per a team announcement. The Jaguars also requested an interview with Cooley, currently the Panthers’ pass-game coordinator, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

2024 was Campanile’s first season in Green Bay, where his run defense allowed the third-fewest yards per carry. He spent the previous four seasons coaching linebackers for the Dolphins. Miami’s run defense improved markedly during Campanile’s tenure, as did 2021 first-round outside linebacker Jaelen Phillips.

Cooley is yet another former Sean McVay assistant to receive coordinator interest this offseason and overlapped with Coen for two seasons in Los Angeles. Cooley started as the assistant secondary coach before moving up to defensive backs coach upon Ejiro Evero‘s departure in 2022. He then followed Evero to Carolina in 2023, where his pass defense allowed the third-fewest yards in the league. The Panthers regressed in 2024, though they dealt with several injuries on the defensive side of the ball.

Campanile and Cooley bring the Jaguars’ DC candidate list to five, including the following names:

Anthony Campanile, linebackers coach/running game coordinator (Packers): Interviewed 1/28
Jonathan Cooley, pass-game coordinator (Panthers): Interview requested
Patrick Graham, former defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interviewed 1/27
Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): Interviewed 1/27
Aubrey Pleasant, defensive pass-game coordinator (Rams): Interviewed 1/28

Robert Saleh Stood As Jaguars’ Liam Coen Backup Plan?

January 28th, 2025 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Robert Saleh is back in San Francisco, agreeing to rejoin the 49ers’ staff as defensive coordinator. This role launched Saleh into a top HC candidate by 2021, and although his Jets stay did not go well, he gained considerable interview seasoning on what was deemed a weak market this year.

The Cowboys, Raiders and Jaguars met with Saleh. Jacksonville had scheduled two meetings with the four-year New York HC, but after it became clear Liam Coen was the team’s preferred choice, Saleh and the Jags pressed pause on a second interview that never happened. Coen maneuvered his way into a favorable deal in Jacksonville, where the new HC will have significant input into the team’s GM hire.

Had Coen stuck with his agreement to stay with the Buccaneers, Saleh may have been set for another reunion. The Jaguars were prepared to go with Saleh had Coen stayed in Tampa, a GM informed the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora. This would have brought Saleh back to the team that employed him as linebackers coach under Gus Bradley.

The Jets’ freefall after Saleh’s October firing reflected well on the head coach, as well as it could on a leader that did not post a .500 season. His two 7-10 slates with Zach Wilson as the primary QB, before a Broncos trade dropped the former No. 2 pick to the third-string tier, also aged well. Saleh could well find himself back on the HC radar in 2026, should he stabilize the 49ers’ defense. It is also interesting the Jags had Saleh positioned above Patrick Graham. The three-year Raiders DC did meet twice with the Jags, and he has also since met about the DC job. This would make it rather surprising if Graham is not Coen’s pick to become DC, but it does not appear he was a true threat to be the team’s head coach.

Coen’s maneuvering to Jacksonville ruffled feathers in Tampa, as he avoided calls from prominent Bucs staffers — Jason Licht, Todd Bowles and Mike Greenberg among them — on the day he was supposed to sign an extension. Coen had delayed the signing, as he had informed the Jaguars he was back in after they fired Trent Baalke. As for the GM of his previous team, the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud notes Licht is “furious” with how Coen left. Coen did express remorse for how he left the Bucs but noted he spoke with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and others on offense to inform them he was leaving for Jacksonville. Mayfield offered encouraging words to Coen on his way out, the new Jags HC revealed.

Shad Khan has not determined who Baalke’s successor will be, but he said Tuesday that former Jags tackle Tony Boselli will have a role with the franchise moving forward. Khan confirmed the 52-year-old Hall of Famer was part of the team’s HC search. Coming into the league as the Jaguars’ first draftee (in 1995), Boselli played in a golden era for left tackles. Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden and Orlando Pace beat Boselli to the Hall of Fame, as injury trouble cut Boselli’s career short. But he earned first-team All-Pro recognition from 1997-99. He will now hold an undetermined role with the team.

Jaguars Conduct DC Interview With Rams’ Aubrey Pleasant

January 28th, 2025 at 10:54am CST by Adam La Rose

The list of candidates for the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator position continues to grow. A third interview for the position has now taken place.

Jacksonville announced on Tuesday that the team met with Aubrey Pleasant for the DC gig. Pleasant has spent the past two years with the Rams as part of his second stint with the team. He has not served as a defensive coordinator before, but taking the Jacksonville job would deal a blow to Los Angeles’ staff.

Pleasant – who has been in the NFL since 2013 – held the title of defensive backs coach/pass-game coordinator upon reuniting with Sean McVay in 2023. This past season, he was promoted to assistant head coach while remaining a key figure on defense. Given how highly regarded Pleasant is by the Rams (along with his experience as a positional coach), it comes as little surprise he is on Jacksonville’s radar.

That is, of course, especially true with Liam Coen at the helm of the Jags. His first Rams stint (2018-20) overlapped with Pleasant’s, so the two are familiar with one another. The Bears requested to speak with Pleasant for their defensive coordinator position, but he did not wind up doing so. As a result, this is his first interview in the 2025 hiring cycle.

Jacksonville’s defense underperformed in a number of categories in 2024, the first with Ryan Nielsen at the helm. The former Saints and Falcons coordinator has yet to find his next gig, but it will not be in Duval County for 2025. Not long after it was learned Coen would take charge of the team, Patrick Graham‘s name emerged as one to watch closely regarding the DC position. He has since interviewed with Jacksonville, as has Vikings staffer Daronte Jones. It will be interesting to see how many other candidate emerge as this search unfolds.

Trent Baalke’s Presence Affected Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn’s Jaguars Interest

January 27th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Liam Coen‘s about-face regarding the Jaguars confirmed what most had assumed about that job. Trent Baalke‘s presence, reported to be an issue for some HC candidates, had impeded this Jags search. The team was believed to have been “embarrassed” by Coen initially passing on a second interview.

Shad Khan then fired Baalke more than two weeks after canning Doug Pederson. The Jaguars will soon turn their attention to replacing him, but it is worth wondering what would have happened had the team done what many expected and fired Baalke along with Pederson. This particular “what if?” impacted the top offense-oriented candidate in this year’s hiring cycle.

Rumored to be interested in the Jaguars’ job, Ben Johnson received aggressive interest from the team. When he turned down the Jaguars to accept a Bears HC offer, the three-year Lions OC indeed expressed reservations about the team’s front office setup. Johnson may have been leery about signing on with Baalke, as Pederson was rumored to be back in 2022, but SI.com’s Albert Breer indicates Johnson may not have been ready to demand Baalke be fired in order to take over in Jacksonville. He then committed to Chicago, which is also keeping its GM — Ryan Poles — on staff.

The Jags discussed a big-money offer with Johnson, Breer adds, and earlier reports that Khan being willing to boot Baalke for the right HC candidate — despite giving Baalke the keys to this coaching search — certainly proved accurate. Before moving on from Baalke, Khan gave Johnson’s camp the impression he would be willing to do so, Breer adds. Johnson committed to the Bears two days before the Jaguars canned Baalke.

It is not known how serious the Jaguars were on Aaron Glenn, beyond the parties’ virtual interview January 11, but Breer notes that the four-year Lions DC expressed interest in bringing along a personnel staffer had he landed the Jacksonville gig. It is unclear who Glenn wanted to add in Jacksonville, but Baalke balked at this setup due to how it would impact his top lieutenant, senior personnel exec Tom Gamble. Khan had already spoken of beefing up his front office, and the upcoming GM hire may well move on from a prominent Baalke lieutenant anyway. Glenn signed on with the Jets on the same day Coen had informed the Jags he was out.

Khan keeping Baalke more than two weeks after Black Monday appears to have been a blunder. The owner allowing an embattled GM to make critical calls during the hiring period did not align with the team’s future. Baalke certainly could have steered the search toward a direction in which the incoming head coach would work with him rather than guide it to a candidate who wanted his own GM. In the end, the organization will pay up for Coen, doing so despite the one-and-done Buccaneers OC not being a finalist anywhere else. Coen, of course, had committed to staying in Tampa as OC before big Jags promises lured him back into that race.

Coen has the rare opportunity, as a first-time HC, to essentially pick a GM; he also signed a five-year contract believed to be worth Johnson-level money. Coen fared much better with the Bucs than he did with the Rams, when an injury-plagued offense plummeted to last in yardage in 2022. After going back to Kentucky, the two-time Wildcats OC had the Bucs’ offense third in yardage and fourth in scoring. Coen helping Baker Mayfield sustain his Dave Canales-overseen rebound played the lead role in him obtaining rare leverage; the Jaguars’ present state didn’t hurt matters, either.

As expected, Coen confirmed Monday he will call plays in Jacksonville. This was a sore spot during Pederson’s stay, as the two-time HC insisted — despite reported Baalke pushback — OC Press Taylor stay in that role. Taylor, whose presence caused issues on Pederson’s way out in Philly as well, was the Jags’ primary play-caller in 2023 and ’24. Although Trevor Lawrence‘s injuries impacted the team in that span, the Jags plummeted to 26th in scoring offense this season.

Additionally, the Jags are retaining special teams coordinator Heath Farwell. Hired in Pederson’s first offseason in charge, Farwell agreed to a three-year deal, ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco notes. A 10-year NFL player, Farwell has been an ST coordinator since 2019. He in that role with the Bills for three seasons and has been an NFL assistant since 2016.

Liam Coen ‘Pushing Hard’ For Mike Greenberg To Become Jaguars GM?

January 27th, 2025 at 10:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already losing one of their assistant GMs, via John Spytek‘s Raiders agreement, the Buccaneers may have one more search to sweat out. Considering the only team still looking is the one that poached Liam Coen to complete an awkward Bucs breakup, it might not be a smooth process.

The Bucs are not expected to allow any contracted assistants to make lateral moves and join Coen in Jacksonville, but they would not be able to block a coordinator interview or a GM meeting involving a promotion. This may bring popular GM candidate Mike Greenberg back into the picture soon. Coen is believed to be eyeing his short-lived Tampa coworker.

The new Jaguars HC is “pushing hard” to bring Greenberg over from Tampa, Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline notes. The matter of Greenberg wanting this job, per Pauline, may be a potential issue. Thus far, no interview requests have gone out. But with Coen hired, the Jags need a front office boss to replace Baalke. Of course, Coen is expected to have a significant say in this process; that could then make this a less powerful GM job once the dust settles.

Coen having the opportunity to drive a GM search despite having only been an NFL coordinator for two seasons, on-and-off stints with the two nonconsecutive Kentucky OC seasons sandwiched in, is unusual. First-time HCs are not regularly given this opportunity, but with the Jags making a major change — the belated Baalke firing — in order to convince Coen to take a second interview and thus sign on, the 2024 Bucs OC pounced on an opportunity to exert leverage.

Greenberg was believed to be one of the Bucs power brokers who attempted to reach Coen during the play-caller’s off-grid stretch on his way out of Tampa. After agreeing to an extension to stay with the Bucs, Coen backtracked once the Jags fired Baalke. The Jags wanted Coen to keep his interview schedule private, allowing the team to interview Patrick Graham and comply with the Rooney Rule, and this led to him dodging calls from Greenberg and Bucs GM Jason Licht. Although Coen is believed to have eventually told Todd Bowles what he was up to, this was far from a smooth exit. On that note, it would be interesting if Greenberg — a 15-year Bucs staffer — would consider jumping ship given the way Coen left town.

Greenberg met with the Jets during their recent search and met about the Panthers’ vacancy last year. Instrumental in helping the Bucs maneuver to land Tom Brady and then rearm for a Super Bowl LV title defense by ensuring the entire starting lineup returned, Greenberg helped the Bucs pay the likes of Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tristan Wirfs this past offseason. Losing Spytek and Greenberg in the same offseason would deal a blow to the Bucs, but it is far from certain if the latter would follow Coen after one year together. GMs rarely receive second chances, so identifying the right fit is paramount for rising execs.

Patrick Graham Is ‘A Top Candidate’ To Be Jaguars DC

January 27th, 2025 at 9:07pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

JANUARY 27: Graham has already huddled up for another Jaguars interview. After the HC job went to Coen, Graham has now met about Jacksonville’s DC position. Considering the team met with Graham twice for the HC job, the second fulfilling the Rooney Rule requirement, and now a third time in an official coordinator interview, it would be a bit of a surprise if he was not the pick.

JANUARY 26: The dust is still settling from the Jaguars’ chaotic leadership changes last week, but new head coach Liam Coen must press along to put together his first staff of assistants.

Coen’s offensive expertise will make his defensive coordinator hire crucial to his success in Jacksonville. Raiders DC Patrick Graham, who interviewed twice for the Jaguars’ head coaching vacancy, is “a top candidate” for the DC job, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Graham’s second interview was a key piece of last week’s drama. The exact timeline remains unclear, but the Jaguars appear to have decided on Coen as their top choice before meeting with Graham in person, as needed to fulfill the Rooney Rule. That could cause tension with Graham if he believes that he was never under serious consideration to be the team’s next head coach.

Offering him the DC job could repair the relationship, especially if the Raiders don’t retain Graham after hiring Pete Carroll as head coach. Las Vegas has yet to announce any additional changes to last year’s staff, though at least a few can be expected with the regime change.

The Jaguars were one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, allowing the second-most points and fifth-most yards with a league-low nine takeaways. The job has some appeal, with a solid, young quartet of Travon Walker, Josh Allen, Foyesade Oluokun and Devin Lloyd in the front seven, but Graham would have to do some serious work in the passing game. The Jaguars allowed a league-high 4,375 passing yards in 2024 and lack any elite players in the secondary. In addition to a new defensive coordinator, Jacksonville will need to invest in defensive back talent this offseason.

Jaguars To Conduct DC Interview With Daronte Jones

January 27th, 2025 at 3:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Liam Coen is officially in place as the Jaguars’ head coach. Attention for the team will now turn to filling out the staff, particularly the coordinator positions.

On the defensive side of the ball, the first candidate (in terms of ones set to speak with the team) has emerged. Jacksonville will interview Daronte Jones for the DC position, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Jones has spent the past three years with the Vikings, serving as their pass game coordinator since 2023.

The 46-year-old’s playing career came to an abrupt end due to injury during his time in college, but he quickly transitioned to coaching. Jones spent time at the high school, CFL and college levels for several years before his first NFL opportunity came with the Dolphins in 2016. Since that time, he has also worked as a positional coach with the Bengals and Vikings.

In between, Jones spent the 2021 season as LSU’s defensive coordinator. While a move to the DC level in the NFL would be unprecedented, he does have some experience in that role. Still, it would come as little surprise if Coen preferred a veteran presence on the sidelines given his status as a rookie head coach with an offensive background.

To that end, it is notable a report from the weekend named Patrick Graham as a top candidate for the Jags’ DC posting. The 46-year-old has been at the helm of the Raiders’ defense for the past three seasons, and he has also worked at the coordinator level with the Giants and Dolphins. That experience stands in stark contrast to that of Jones, but the fact the latter has a meeting lined up means he is likely to receive at least some consideration from Coen and Co.

Chip Kelly Reportedly A Popular OC Target; Jaguars, Texans Interested

January 26th, 2025 at 8:31am CST by Rory Parks

Last offseason, former Eagles and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly interviewed at least twice for the Raiders’ offensive coordinator job, a job that ultimately went to Luke Getsy (who lasted only nine games in Las Vegas). Kelly could finally find his way back to the NFL this offseason, as sources tell Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports that the 61-year-old is at the top of the wishlist for several OC-needy teams.

Currently the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for Ohio State – which just captured the CFP National Championship – Kelly was a coveted head coaching candidate back when the Eagles hired him to replace Andy Reid in 2013. He guided that Philadelphia outfit to the playoffs and added a second straight 10-win campaign in 2014, despite losing starting QB Nick Foles to injury during the season. While that Eagles squad narrowly missed the playoffs, Kelly’s early success prompted owner Jeffery Lurie to demote Howie Roseman and let his HC run on-field and personnel operations in 2015. That made for a memorable year, one that ended with Kelly’s in-season ouster and Roseman being restored as GM. The 49ers hired Kelly as HC in 2016, but after a 2-14 season, the team made him a one-and-done and pivoted to Kyle Shanahan.

Kelly, who operated as the UCLA head coach from 2018-23 before heading to Columbus last year, has long wanted to return to the professional level, and this may be his time to do it. Sources say that the Jaguars are interested, and although Jones suggests that the Jacksonville job may not be a great fit – since new HC Liam Coen is likely to serve as the club’s offensive play-caller – the Texans could represent a viable landing spot.

After all, Kelly was Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans’ HC when Ryans was finishing out his playing career in Philadelphia, and since Ryans calls Houston’s defensive plays, Kelly could call the offense without interference. Jones and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirm prior reports indicating that Texans quarterbacks coach Jerrod Johnson – who generated considerable external interest for OC positions last year – is also a strong option to replace the recently-fired Bobby Slowik.

Speaking of Slowik, who worked as Houston’s offensive coordinator for the first two years of Ryans’ HC tenure, his inability to develop as a play-caller and game plan builder is what cost him his job, as sources tell Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. While injuries to top wideouts Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs, and Tank Dell obviously undermined Slowik’s efforts, the coach was also criticized for his inability to adjust to opposing defenses. That contributed to more hits and sacks for quarterback C.J. Stroud, who regressed in his second pro season.

The offense as a whole took a significant step back from its 2023 production, which positioned Slowik as a popular name in last offseason’s head coaching carousel. Nonetheless, Wilson says the now-vacant OC gig is considered a desirable one given the presence of so many offensive standouts (including Stroud).

Like Jones and Rapoport, Wilson identifies Johnson as a legitimate candidate to replace Slowik, especially since he enjoys a strong relationship with his young signal-caller (the two began working together when Stroud was just 16).

“One thing that I can say about Jerrod, you talk about somehow who knows how to play the position of quarterback and knows how to relay something, but also just a great person, man,” Stroud said. “A guy who loves football, he loves Houston, he loves Texas. He loves his family, he’s a great family man. Someone who has just taught me a tremendous amount of information, but on top of that, put a lot of confidence into me as well.”

The Texans’ search is going to be a wide-ranging one, and as we noted previously, it may also include senior offensive assistant Bill Lazor and wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator Ben McDaniels (though if Houston chooses to promote from within, McDaniels is not as likely as Johnson or Lazor to get the job). Wilson again mentions Saints OC Klint Kubiak as a logical external option.

Wilson is not as convinced as other reporters that Kelly wants to return to the NFL, but it’s worth noting that Ryans does think highly of his former head coach.

“[Kelly] was a master motivator, but he was always an innovator,” Ryans said shortly after he was hired by the Texans. “Chip Kelly, he was always on the cutting edge. Always looking for ways to get better with sports science, technology.”

When the Texans fired Slowik, they also canned offensive line coach Chris Strausser. Wilson and Rapoport say assistant OL coach Cole Popovich has a chance to replace Strausser, with Wilson adding that offensive assistants Jarrod James and Leander Wallace and defensive assistant Ryan Milus have seen their contracts expire and are unlikely to return.

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