Gus Bradley out, Josh McDaniels in as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Jul 30, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels smiles during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 30, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels smiles during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports /
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With head coach Gus Bradley’s dismissal all but certain, could Josh McDaniels be a possibility for the Jacksonville Jaguars?

The Jacksonville Jaguars will have a new head coach in 2017.

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That’s one of life’s certainties at this point after death and taxes. Even if Gus Bradley wins the final 3 games of the season by a combined 1 trillion points, he is gone. This is something everyone can agree on,

including Mike DiRocco over at ESPN

as he ranked Gus Bradley’s “hot seat” rating a 5 out of 5:

"Gus Bradley: 5Is five the highest? Actually, there really isn’t any pressure on Bradley any longer, as he is expected to be fired regardless of what happens in the final three games. Owner Shad Khan said a winning record was “everybody’s reasonable expectation” in 2016, and the Jaguars are 2-11. Bradley’s career record of 14-47 is the worst in modern NFL history. The only question now is whether Khan will fire or retain general manager Dave Caldwell. — Mike DiRocco"

DiRocco’s last thought there about David Caldwell leads to a recent report that’s quite fascinating. Reportedly,  David Caldwell is interested in Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, according to Sam Farmer of The Los Angeles Times.

"RUMOR: Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell is reportedly interested in Patriots OC Josh McDanielsWHAT WE THINK: The Jaguars have a young, growing defense, but they’re lacking a quarterback. Then again, McDaniels could choose to see that as a positive, because he’d be able to draft a quarterback in this year’s draft. McDaniels probably wouldn’t be able to do that in Los Angeles, given the team is likely committed to Jared Goff for the foreseeable future."

I think Josh McDaniels would be a monumental upgrade on Gus Bradley and he seems like the kind of bright, innovative offensive mind this team needs right now. That being said, the quarterback situation is a huge pivot and it presents quite the conundrum. McDaniels will almost certainly want “his guy” at QB, meaning he should have free reign on whether or not to draft/sign someone he wants. If David Caldwell is the GM, won’t he want to push Blake Bortles on to the head coach?

This report is somewhat pointless at the moment since we don’t know what’s going to happen with the front office, but it’s good to hear Caldwell is interested in perhaps the top coaching candidate.