The Jacksonville Jaguars can't stop exceeding expectations this season. Their 13 wins are the most in a season since 1999, Liam Coen is an NFL Coach of the Year candidate, and Trevor Lawrence is playing at a top-10 level. If that wasn't enough, the Jags also seized the AFC South. Simply put, they've become a legit contender after finishing 4-13 the season prior. The downside of having so much success is that other teams could poach some of their coaches.
Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile is quickly becoming a hot name ahead of the head-coaching cycle. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski could also garner interest (the New York Giants may set their sights on him), albeit to a lesser degree, but if he leaves, the perfect replacement may end up falling into Jacksonville's lap.
The Jaguars need to target Kevin Stefanski if Grant Udinski leaves
While the Jaguars are getting ready for the playoffs, the offseason has already begun for several teams. One of them, the Cleveland Browns, wasted no time firing head coach Kevin Stefanski after going 5-12 in 2025.
At a surface level, the firing makes sense. Stefanski is coming off back-to-back losing seasons and went 45-56 during his stint in Cleveland. However, he was also Coach of the Year twice and routinely made the most out of a roster that lacked star power on both sides of the ball. Couple that with the fact that he was forced to work with quarterback Deshaun Watson, and you can see why he wasn't the main reason the Browns struggled to win games the past two years.
In fact, nobody would bat an eye if Stefanski earns head-coaching consideration. But if he doesn't get a head-coaching gig, he'll be a hot candidate among teams in need of an offensive coordinator.
After all, Stefanski has routinely had his quarterbacks playing at a high level. Back with the Minnesota Vikings, it was Case Keenum and Kirk Cousins. He then got the most out of Baker Mayfield in 2020 before he regressed the following year. More recently, Shedeur Sanders flashed under his tutelage.
The one thing that could potentially prevent the Jaguars from pursuing Stefanksi is that they're in the playoffs. If they make a deep run, other teams could go ahead and hire him either as a head coach or a coordinator.
Related: 3 winners (and 1 loser) from the Jags' win vs. the Titans in the season finale
It's not a given that Grant Udinski will leave the Jaguars
Of course, for the Jaguars to pursue Kevin Stefanski, they would have to have an opening at offensive coordinator, and it's not a given that they will. Grant Udinksi has certainly been a revelation, but he'll probably be a dark-horse candidate in the upcoming coaching cycle.
The fact that Udinski didn't call plays, along with the fact that he's been a coordinator for only one season, may give clubs with a head-coaching vacancy pause, justifiably or not. But even if he leaves Jacksonville, there's no guarantee that Stefanski will be available.
The bottom line is that the Jaguars surely want to keep Grant Udinski so they can build off their success in 2025. But if he leaves, Kevin Stefanski would most definitely be a name to watch to replace him.