The Jacksonville Jaguars seem poised to undergo a rebuild in 2025. They have one of the worst records in the NFL, and it may be a matter of time before they press the reset button and dismiss head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke. The silver lining is that the Jags have the pieces to pull off a quick turnaround next year. However, they'll need to get one thing right if they want it to happen.
Kristopher Knox drew up a list of NFL teams that are looking at a rebuild in 2025 and included Jacksonville, arguing that they've failed to meet expectations but have the pieces to bounce back next year.
"While Jacksonville hasn't exactly been a consistently successful franchise, it could attract some quality coaching candidates this offseason. On paper, it has a strong roster and a franchise quarterback in Lawrence.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported on the Scoop City podcast (h/t Bleacher Report's Doric Sam) that Belichick "has his eye" on the Jaguars.
If they can find a coach who can get a bit more out of the roster, and they can keep Lawrence on the field, they'll have a chance to improve significantly."
As Knox points out, the Jaguars would be an appealing destination for head-coaching candidates in the next hiring cycle. Leaving aside the presence of Trevor Lawrence, they have ample cap space and enough draft ammo to address most of their roster needs in 2025. Moreover, their roster isn't devoid of talent. They have playmakers at key positions, such as cornerback Tyson Campbell and the pass-rush duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.
Working in the Jags' favor is that they'll have no shortage of options next year. Bill Belichick could turn out to be the answer if he's kept away from making personnel decisions and is paired up with a strong general manager.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is a rising star in the league and could help Lawrence undergo a career revival like he did with Jared Goff in Motor City. That said, Johnson and Belichick are just two of many candidates the Jags will be in a position to pursue.
Granted, Jacksonville has yet to dismiss head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke, but barring something unexpected, both of them will be gone in 2025.
Firing Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke is the easy part for the Jaguars
Moving on from Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke would be just the first step, and the easiest one. The next and objectively more challenging one is that the Jacksonville Jaguars must hire the right head coach and general manager if they want to experience a turnaround. And that's the thing, owner Shad Khan doesn't have a great track record of bringing in the right people.
Doug Pederson looked like the answer after leading the team to the playoffs and an AFC South title in his first year at the helm. However, he hasn't had as much success lately, having won just three of the last 17 games dating back to Week 13 of the 2023 season. Before him, Urban Meyer managed to sink the team even lower than it was when he took over in 2021. Gus Bradley nor Doug Marrone weren't the answer either, and Khan has also had a hard time hiring the right general manager.
Trent Baalke has certainly had his fair share of hits but his misses are too many to ignore, and his predecessor, Dave Caldwell, left the cupboard bare after eight underwhelming seasons on the job. The bottom line is that it doesn't matter how attractive the Jaguars' opening is if they cannot get the right people in place.
Perhaps Shad Khan has learned from his past mistakes, and if that's the case, the Jaguars will quickly rebuild, but if he hasn't, it won't matter that they have one of the most enticing openings in the next hiring cycle.