Jaguars: Would moving on from Urban Meyer be the right move?

When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their head coach, they thought they were getting the right man to lead their rebuild. What they didn’t expect was the turmoil that has surrounded him and the franchise over the last few months. Would the Jags be willing to pull the plug even though it’s been a year since Meyer joined the team? According to an insider, they might.

Host of The Daily Coach and former NFL executive Michael Lombardi says there have been many closed-door meetings happening at Jacksonville. He adds that they’re not related to their upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans. While Lombardi doesn’t outright mention the potential dismissal of Meyer, he seems to imply that may be the case. Legal expert Michael McCann also chimed and says two employment contract terms could become significant in this situation: “Moral clause! and “for cause”.

This means that Jaguars owner Shad Khan isn’t pleased with how Meyer has conducted himself and may take serious action. Earlier today, Khan released a statement in which he said the head coach’s actions last weekend were inexcusable but noted that it’s a good thing he is showing remorse. Also, he will need to regain the team’s trust.

In case you missed it, Meyer opted to stay in Ohio after the Jags’ Week 4 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was then caught at a bar with a woman who wasn’t his wife dancing in his lap. The video went viral Saturday. In a recent sitdown with the local media, he said he had apologized to the staff and had met one-on-one with the team captains. Here’s Lombardi’s tweet.

Could the  Jacksonville Jaguars really move on from Urban Meyer?

After giving former head coach Doug Marrone the pink slip, Shad Khan zeroed in on Urban Meyer to fill the vacancy even though there were several capable candidates with NFL experience. Keep in mind that Meyer had never coached in the pros but it was believed that his immense success at the college level would carry over into the NFL. That hasn’t been the case, as the Jags are 0-4. Then again, this is Meyer’s first year at the job and should have a reasonable amount of leeway. He would have to do something bad (like caught in an improper situation) to be fired.

This is a fluid situation, and it’s uncertain what will happen in Jacksonville. If the Jaguars organization decides to move on from Meyer, someone like offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell or defensive coordinator Joe Cullen would have to take over head coaching duties. Another alternative would be to mutually agree to part ways after the 2021 season. However, this approach might not be in the Jaguars’ best interest since Meyer would know he’s on his way out and might not be incentivized to do a good job.

It will be interesting to see if the Jaguars can make things work out with Meyer. There’s a chance both parties can leave this behind. Maybe this was a wake-up call for the coach, and if that’s the case, he can now focus on what he came to do, turn the Jags into a contender. On the other hand, don’t be surprised if the team decides to part ways with the head coach. At this point, anything is possible.