Jaguars: Does Doug Marrone get the chance to stay in 2020?

Do the events of the past week and a potential winning streak allow Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone to return next season?

If the Jacksonville Jaguars are able to win their last two games of the season, first this weekend on the road Atlanta, and then in the home finale against Indianapolis, would the franchise’s ownership still fire head coach Doug Marrone?

In what only can be described as one of the most tumultuous seasons in team history, Marrone has been the centerpiece of crossfire between players and former executive vice president football operations Tom Coughlin.

And when talking with the media this week, he emphasized he is concentrating on coaching his players and working with the coaching staff for the next two games, that he isn’t worried about job security.

Players have been outspoken about the job Marrone has done, coaching this team under fire, while having to answer questions from the media each day as the front office remained quiet on topics which affected this organization on and off the field.

"“I love Coach Doug,” running back Leonard Fournette said when asked about his coach and the team this season via Jaguars.com."

More from Jacksonville Jaguars News

Because of this unbalanced season, that started with the retirement of Telvin Smith, then the injury to Nick Foles. It carried over to the lengthy holdout by Jalen Ramsey only to see him traded, and then the development of Gardner Minshew. Finally, the team’s decision to let Coughlin go this week made the franchise one of the most fascinating stories in the NFL. Does it warrant one more season for the only head coach to take this team to the playoffs in the past 12 seasons?

"“I feel like he has done a great job because we have definitely faced adversity throughout OTAs (organized team activities), throughout the season,” D.J. Hayden added."

It looks as though team owner Shad Khan is going to have a difficult decision to make, regardless of what the fanbase thinks. Many want to see a clean sweep of the front office. Because of Coughlin‘s stamp on almost everything having to do with the daily workings of the organization, it can be argued that both the head coach and general manager David Caldwell have not been able to show exactly what they can do in a working environment together without Coughlin as part of the mix.

Calais says if players on other teams ask him about coming to #Jaguars, he will have nothing but positive things to say about his experience here.
— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) December 19, 2019

I would not be against the idea of both Caldwell and Marrone getting another shot as long as changes are made to the coaching staff and improvements are made on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

It appears the locker room is still behind their coach, even after there had been discussions nationally that Marrone had lost his players in a season that was falling apart during a five-game losing streak.

"“There is so much stuff we have gone through this year that we don’t typically go through in a season,” defensive end Calais Campbell said. “He has done an incredible job keeping the guys focused and staying on the task at hand. That is impressive. He is a very good coach.”"

The roster could look significantly different again this off-season, the same can be said for the coaches on staff, who like this roster, or fighting for jobs in 2020. It’s a mantra Marrone continues to push to the media.

There is still a possibility that neither Caldwell or Marrone will be back next year and Khan will once again start a new regime, which could also mean changes at key positions on the field. The front office must also take into account the issues that potentially lie ahead with the salary cap and veterans with high-priced contracts.

It’s a balancing act the two figureheads in the front office must come together to fix and may get a chance to do that next season.

Home/Jacksonville Jaguars News