The Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching search cast a wide net at first; now, three coaches are in Jacksonville to narrow down the next head coach. After top candidate Ben Johnson went to the Chicago Bears, the Jaguars are looking to find their future head coach from the rest of the field. Finding the next man in charge after Doug Pederson is an important one, and getting started, the Jaguars head coaching search round two begins with three candidates meeting in person.
Jaguars Head Coaching Search: Round Two Of Interviews
Following the Detroit Lions‘ elimination to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional round, the best Jaguars head coaching candidates left the Lions. They went in-division to the Bears to be their head coach. This move leaves the Jaguars without their top candidate but still left with plenty of intriguing options. From some great defensive minds to offensive coordinators of some of the best offenses in the NFL, there are still plenty of options for the Jaguars to consider as head coach.
The Jaguars’ initial round of interviews was conducted remotely only. Now, as they enter the second round, they are beginning to whittle down the pool of potential head coaches through in-person interviews. The first batch of interviews features three coaches, with one standing out above the others as the best possible candidate left for the Jaguars.
The Next Best Thing?
While losing out on Johnson, Jacksonville has many other options. It won’t have the same hype as bringing in Johnson, there is still one coach that stands out among the rest for the Jaguars head coaching search. That coach is Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. His role in bringing them to another level, even after an impressive 2023, the 2024 Buccaneers had a great season offensively. Coen coming to Jacksonville would keep the offensive coordinator in Florida, with the hope that he can elevate Trevor Lawrence to a higher level.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Buccaneers offense was ranked fourth in overall offensive grade, ahead of all of the teams in the AFC and NFC Championship games. The Jaguars are ranked 24th offensively. The hope would be that bringing in Coen would help bring the Jaguars offense to its potential with Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr.
Coen wasn’t the first choice for many Jaguars fans, but with the offense in a rut, bringing in Coen, who helped Baker Mayfield break out further after a 2023 breakout season, should be a huge benefit to Lawrence’s career. That should be the priority in the Jaguars head coaching search; bringing in a coach to elevate Lawrence. Of the potential head coaches left, Coen is the best candidate remaining to bring Lawrence to elite levels.
As of Tuesday before the championship games, the Jaguars have only three in-person interviews scheduled. Among those three, Coen is the only offensive-minded coach in the search, with the other two candidates having a focus on defense. Coen makes the most sense for the Jaguars among the second-round head coaching candidates being interviewed in person. That doesn’t mean the two other in-person interviews aren’t of interest.
Two Defensive-Minded Coaching Candidates
The Jaguars head coaching search begins round two of in-person interviews with Coen, and two former defensive coordinators. Patrick Graham, the former Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator, and Robert Saleh, the former New York Jets head coach and San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator. Both would be bringing in strong defensive philosophies to the Jaguars and after a very rough 2o24, stabilizing the defense is a major issue that needs to be addressed for 2025.
However, the offensive side of the ball should come first for the Jaguars head coaching search. Saleh and Graham are great defensive minds, but leaping to head coach is easier said than done. Saleh is proof of this, as he struggled to wrangle in the Jets, and was fired early in the 2024 season. However, his presence on the defense was clear, as after his firing the Jets’ defense went from a good unit to one of the worst in the NFL.
When the Jaguars scheduled second interviews with the head coaching candidates, Saleh and Graham were two of the three names listed. It’s an interesting deviation from the standard for the Jaguars, as an offensive-minded head coach has been on the minds of most fans around the league for their head-coaching job. This is especially the case in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars head coaching search’s priority should be to get the offense on track. Getting Lawrence to pay to his potential is the best path for the Jaguars to take if they want to find postseason success. To get on the right track, bringing in a top offensive mind is the priority. With only three coaches scheduled for second interviews, there are still plenty of other options to consider. The Jaguars head coaching search should dive deeper into some of the top offensive minds around the league, starting with the offensive coordinators from playoff teams.
Who Else Could Be Interviewed In Person?
For the Jaguars, the focus should be on the offensive side of the ball. That leaves Aaron Glenn and Brian Flores are unlikely candidates to be hired in Jacksonville. While they could be intriguing coaches, the Jets seem likely to land Glenn, and Flores seems likely to go elsewhere.
The Jaguars head coaching search should include many of the top offensive minds around the NFL. Jacksonville should look to interview Todd Monken and Joe Brady. Their performances in the AFC Divisional round against one another further emphasized their potential as head coaches leading an offense. Monken, the Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator, can be interviewed right away as the Ravens were eliminated. Brady, the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator, will have to wait as he’s coaching in the championship round.
While the Jaguars may have to wait, the Jaguars should do their due diligence with both Monken and Brady. Between those two, and Coen, the Jaguars should be able to hire an offensive-minded head coach to elevate their franchise quarterback to elite, or borderline elite levels. The potential is there with Lawrence, and one of Monken, Coen, and Brady should be able to bring out his best play.
Final Outlook On The Jaguars Head Coaching Search
With the Jaguars offseason beginning with a head coaching search, the tone of the 2025 season and offseason can be set early on. Hiring one of the top offensive minds left available is the right path to take. While Saleh and Graham may be solid hires, the Jaguars’ priority should be bringing in an offensive mind to help develop Thomas and Lawrence together. Having an elite wide receiver and a high-potential quarterback is hard to come by, wasting time with a bad offensive coordinator or head coach would be disastrous for the franchise.
Coen is the most likely candidate to be brought in from round two of the Jaguars head coaching search. When the Jaguars fired Pederson, the Jaguars knew that they needed a new direction offensively. To then hire a defensive coordinator as a head coach would go against the idea of helping Lawrence and the offense. A defensive mind would be fine if the offense had a good option to lead the offense, but with how stunted the Jaguars offense looked in 2024, taking a chance on one of the top candidates makes the most sense.
Whether it’s Coen, Monken, Brady, or another top offensive mind, the Jaguars head coaching search should target bringing in a head coach with the main goal of helping Lawrence. He’s the most important player on the roster and can dictate the future of the Jaguars more than anyone else. With Thomas on a rookie deal, and already as one of the top five best Jaguars players of 2024, along with a ton of other individual talents, the Jaguars’ priority should be bringing in an offensive-minded head coach to capitalize on the players on the offense.
Some teams feel a need to make a decision quickly, but the Jaguars should be careful and take their time interviewing the top candidates. With the 2025 Jaguars free agent class not including any major players, the Jaguars’ new head coach won’t have any major decisions to make right away. This leniency paves the way for the Jaguars to take their time in bringing in the right coach.
The Jaguars head coaching search cast a wide net at first, and now as the options begin to narrow down, the focus should be entirely on offensive-minded coaches. Coen is the most likely hire entering round two of interviews, and if he ends up being the hire, the Jaguars would be well set up for success offensively, as he led the Buccaneers to an impressive 2024 season.
As the Jaguars head coaching search wraps up, there are plenty of intriguing candidates left on the board. But as the options begin to come off the board, the pat the Jaguars head coaching search should take is obvious: go with an offensive coordinator from one of the top offenses to be the new Jaguars head coach.
Main Image: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
