The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson after a miserable 2024 season and the Jaguars will once again be looking for a new head coach. The Pederson era started off promising enough with the Jags winning the AFC South and winning a playoff game but after a disappointing 2023 season and a really bad 2024 season, the writing was on the wall for Pederson.
With Pederson out the door, the Jaguars will now be searching for a new head coach for the first time since the 2022 offseason. There are plenty of intriguing options for them on the head coaching free-agent market this offseason and fortunately for the Jags, their head coach opening should be viewed as an attractive one.
Let's look into the reasons why Jacksonville's head coaching spot could be one of the most popular gigs in the 2025 offseason.
Talented roster
The Jaguars only winning four games in 2024 was a major disappointment for many reasons but one of those reasons is that this team has talent on the roster. We'll discuss Trevor Lawrence more in a bit but let's focus on the roster that isn't the quarterback position.
Brian Thomas Jr. is coming off an incredible rookie season that saw him nab 87 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns. He did this despite not having Lawrence for nearly half the season. Former first overall pick Travon Walker had a double-digit sack season and Josh Hines-Allen had eight sacks, proving that the pass-rush is trending in the right direction.
There's plenty for the Jaguars to be optimistic about when it comes to their roster. Finding a head coach who can bring out the best in other players and continue to get fantastic seasons from the already-proven players is critical for the front office.
Experienced QB with potential
All right, now onto Lawrence. Jaguars fans saw exactly what Lawrence could be when he has good coaching and even just a semi-talented team around him in 2022. That year saw the former number one overall pick in the 2021 draft throw for over 4,100 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight picks in 17 starts.
The end result was an AFC South title and a playoff win. The Jags even came close to upsetting the Chiefs in the divisional round that year but it wasn't meant to be. Still, it's not hard to see the potential there with Lawrence. He's dealt with injuries the past few years but even when healthy, it's clear that he isn't on the same level that he was in 2022.
A head coach interested in this job, especially with an offensive background, will be licking his chops at having Lawrence as his starting quarterback. Some teams with head coach openings don't have a good quarterback situation but that's not the case in Jacksonville and it's another reason this position is an attractive one.
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10 draft picks in 2025
A head coach walking into Jacksonville for his first season will be elated to know that he and the GM have 10 draft picks to work with in the spring. Now it's all about what teams do with those picks, of course, but that's a lot of draft capital to work with.
The Jaguars have the fifth overall pick in April's draft as well as three other picks in the top 100. This is a chance for whoever comes in to continue building the team that he visualizes and to ensure the Jaguars can compete right away.
Easy division
While some poor soul is going to have to join the NFC North and go toe-to-toe with the likes of the Lions, Packers, and Vikings every year, whoever takes the Jaguars job will land in one of the easiest divisions in the league. The Texans have won the last two AFC South titles and won it this year despite not looking like a playoff team at the end of the year.
The AFC South looked to be turning the corner in 2023 with three teams finishing with winning records but that clearly proved to be a fluke with all but the Texans finishing with losing records in 2024. When you have six games against three underwhelming teams, it makes getting to the playoffs easier. That's another huge perk about the Jaguars head coaching job and why this position will hopefully be a popular one.