After their successful turnaround in 2025, the Jacksonville Jaguars were at risk of losing offensive coordinator Grant Udinski. Head coach Liam Coen's right-hand man garnered interest for several head-coaching vacancies and came close to getting the Cleveland Browns job before ultimately returning to Duval.
If the Jags once again build an offensive powerhouse, they'll have trouble retaining Udinski. That's probably why they could be putting together a potential succession plan.
The Jaguars announce the promotion of Shane Waldron and Heath Farwell
The Jaguars announced they've added the title of assistant head coach to pass game coordinator Shane Waldron and special teams coordinator Heath Farwell. Waldron joined the Jaguars staff when Liam Coen became the head coach. On the other hand, former head coach Doug Pederson hired Heath Farwell. He and tight ends coach Richard Angulo were among the assistants from the past regime that Coen retained.
With Waldron overseeing the passing game, Jacksonville ranked 12th in total passing yards and seventh in passing touchdowns in the NFL. Similarly, Trevor Lawrence threw a career-best 29 passing touchdowns.
Waldron held different jobs for the Los Angeles Rams, but he was their pass game coordinator in 2020. He then spent three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks as their offensive coordinator before bolting for the Chicago Bears with the same title.
For his part, Farwell played in the NFL for 10 seasons before embarking on a coaching career. He was the assistant special teams coach for the Seattle Seahawks in 2016 and took the same job with the Carolina Panthers in 2018. He became the special teams coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 2019 and joined the Jags in 2022.
Since his arrival, Farwell has overseen one of the best special teams units in the NFL, which is why it wasn't particularly surprising that Coen wanted to keep him around.
The Jaguars could be grooming Shane Waldron to replace Grant Udinski
With another strong season, Grant Udinski will become a hot head-coaching candidate in the next hiring cycle. While it's hard to tell how the pool of candidates will ultimately look, the Jags could be better off promoting from within if Udinski leaves. Shane Waldron would most definitely make sense.
Sure, Waldron came crashing down during his stint with the Bears, but he's had success with both the LA Rams and the Jags. Having worked with him, Liam Coen may give him another chance to oversee the offense. Having said that, Brian Picucci could also be a viable replacement for Udinski.
Picucci was Coen's coach at UMass and has followed him throughout his coaching career at Kentucky, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and most recently, Jacksonville. Heck, Coen wanted to bring him in since 2025, but the Bucs originally blocked the move.
Ideally, the Jaguars would love to keep Grant Udinski for as long as they can. But if he leaves, they have a pair of potential replacements to fill his vacancy in Brian Picucci and Shane Waldron. Perhaps the latter could get the nod based on the latest promotion.
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