The Urban Meyer era
and the Jacksonville Jaguars will soon start the search for their next head coach. There’s no doubt this was a bad hire but it would have been even worse to keep Meyer and try to make it work despite the fact that he showed he was not fit to remain in place.
The Jags haven’t been a very good team over the last ten years and that’s in part due to not being able to find the right head coach to lead the team. On the bright side, they are in a favorable situation to land one of the top head-coaching candidates in the next coaching cycle. Here are three reasons the Jaguars will be one of the top (if not) the top destination.
1. The Jaguars have an extremely patient owner in Shad Khan.
Shad Khan has exercised extreme patient during his 10-year tenure as the owner of the Jags. He’s a big believer in letting processes unfold and not making “hasty” decisions. Before giving Meyer the boot, only once did he fire a coach after just one year, and that was Mike Mularkey back in 2013.
Khan gave Gus Bradley and Doug Marrone more than enough time to turn the Jags around, maybe more than he should have. He only cut ties with Meyer after he made it impossible to keep him. Whoever gets hired as the Jaguars’ next head coach will have an understanding owner who will get his back as long as he doesn’t lie and turns the working environment into a toxic place.
2. The Jaguars’ next head coach will have vast resources at his disposal.
Ok, you got the owner that will give you time to implement your vision but you will also have a vast amount of resources at your disposal, who wouldn’t want to work under those circumstances.
This isn’t to say the Jaguars are like the Silicon Valley startup that will offer big office spaces, a cafeteria, and a lounge to get to stay more hours. Far from it. Instead, their next head coach will have the third-most cap space in the league, according to Spotract. In addition, the Jags don’t have many pressing free-agent decisions to make outside of maybe wide receiver DJ Chark, left tackle Cam Robinson and left guard. The front office could bring back the three of them and have more than enough room to sign a couple of big-name free agents in the open market. But wait, there’s more.
The Jaguars are set to have a top 5 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It could be one as high as the second overall and not lower than the fourth. This will leave them in a position to take a difference-maker on either offense or defense. Garrett Wilson of Ohio State would give their wide receiver corps a boost but left tackle Evan Neal could fortify their offensive line. Similarly, they could pair Pro Bowl outside linebacker Josh Allen with one of the two top prospects in next year’s selection meeting, Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Simply put, the Jaguars’ next head coach will have the resources to oversee a quick makeover.
3. The Jaguars have a potential franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence.
Talks of Trevor Lawrence being a franchise quarterback are a tad premature. Nevertheless, the former Clemson Tiger has shown flashes of being the long-term answer at the position in Jacksonville. In spite of the Jaguars’ on-field struggles, he doesn’t look fazed and has made several highlights throws that showcase his potential as a bonafide signal-caller.
Moreover, it’s always a delight to hear Lawrence speak, as he’s shown the maturity and the emotional intelligence to face the challenges that come with turning the Jaguars around. Having him on the roster ensures that the team’s brass can invest their draft picks and the robust salary cap in other positional groups.
Whoever ends up becoming the Jaguars’ next head coach won’t have to spend time on scouting quarterbacks, or a training camp controversy. Instead, he will have to untap Lawrence’s potential and put him in a position to succeed.
An offensive-minded coach like Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich or former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson would make sense as potential replacements for Meyer but if the Jags’ decision-makers opt for a defense-oriented coach, they will have to hire a coordinator that can squeeze every ounce of talent out of their young signal-caller.
Meyer had a chance to work with a generational talent but let his ego get in the way and wasted the opportunity. The Jaguars will now have to find someone that will make the most out of it.