Jacksonville Jaguars Have Bad Offseason Start

It was a disaster of a season in Jacksonville in 2024. With playoffs on their mind, the Jacksonville Jaguars made Trevor Lawrence the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. And in September, they were supposed to see the dividends of that very expensive commitment.

Instead, the Jaguars lost their first four games of the season, nine of their first 11, and they finished at 4-13, their worst season in three years under head coach Doug Pederson. Lawrence, after consecutive 4,000-yard seasons, played just 10 games and finished the year with 2,045 yards passing and the worst per-game average of his four-year career.

No team needed a reset more than the Jaguars, and Pederson was predictably fired. But general manager Trent Baalke survived an extra two weeks, and his reputation as someone who doesn’t work easily with head coaches has put the Jaguars behind the rest of the teams engaging in a head coach search.

Baalke was responsible for the Urban Meyer debacle, but lasted through that. And as he was conducting the search for a replacement in 2022, when Pederson was hired, there were clear concerns from head coaching candidates about Baalke. Jaguars owner Shad Khan finally clued into the toxicity of his general manager this week when his preferred new head coach, Liam Coen, withdrew his name from consideration, and instead signed a new contract to stay as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Two weeks wasted because of loyalty to a GM that was fired on Wednesday, and the hottest offensive-minded names are no longer in the running for the job. Instead of Coen, or former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who is the new head coach of the Chicago Bears, the list of most likely new coaches in Jacksonville is led by a defensive retread.

2025 Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Odds

Robert Saleh (+350)

Robert Saleh was an excellent defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers. However, his tenure as head coach of the New York Jets was not good. Even at the end, his defenses, which were long his strength, had become bad. 

Saleh doesn’t deserve blame for everything that went wrong with the Jets. He dealt with a quarterback carousel that was foisted upon him by others, and the dysfunction of the franchise predated him by decades. But his hiring in Jacksonville, if it happens, will not excite the fan base. What the Jaguars need more than anything is someone who can finally unlock the potential of Trevor Lawrence.

Joe Brady (+375)

Current Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady might be just the coach to work with Lawrence. Josh Allen has thrived under Brady, and Brady is also linked to current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow from their days together at LSU. But because of the Jaguars pursuit of Coen while Baalke was still employed, Brady knows that he is at best a Plan B.

Brady has also been linked to the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders, but Brady comes with a caveat. He can’t be hired or interviewed in person as long as the Bills remain alive in the postseason. So if you want Brady, you may have to wait until after the Super Bowl. Do the Jaguars have the patience?

Kellen Moore (+500)

Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore may also come with a wait, as he is spending this week preparing for the NFC Championship Game, and what he hope extends for another two weeks to Super Bowl Sunday. 

Moore’s best work came as the OC with the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott, which does make one imagine the Jaguars offense with Moore teamed up with Lawrence. But Moore is also connected to the open job with the Cowboys, and he will be meeting with the Saints for a second virtual interview.

Brian Flores (+600)

Brian Flores put his name near the top of the list of desirable head coaches with a great season as the defensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings. He is the former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, which might play well in Florida, and in his final two seasons with the Dolphins, he finished above .500.

Patrick Graham (+750)

Patrick Graham became the Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator under head coach Josh McDaniels. When McDaniels was fired, Graham was retained, and lasted with the Raiders for three seasons. The Raiders defense ranked 28th in his first year, and 15th in 2023 and 2024.

Todd Monken (+1000)

Todd Monken’s two years as the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens has been a success, with the Ravens ranking sixth in total yards in 2023 and first in total yards this past season. These past two seasons for quarterback Lamar Jackson have been the two best passing seasons of his career.

Steve Spagnuolo (+1000)

Steve Spagnuolo is the man who allows Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid to focus solely on the offense. Spags is in charge of the defense in Kansas City, which ranked second in yards allowed last year, and ninth in yards allowed this season. Spags has three Super Bowl rings from his time as DC of the Chiefs, and one ring when he was DC with the New York Giants.

Spagnuolo was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams from 2009 to 2011.