By all rights, the Jacksonville Jaguars should have coaches lining up to audition for the role of Doug Pederson's replacement. Trevor Lawrence is locked in, ownership wants to spend money, and the division is weak. Instead, the Jags have been getting rebuffed at every turn thanks to GM Trent Baalke.
After being turned down by new Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson (likely due to the thought of working alongside Baalke), Jacksonville's top target, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, chose to stay in his current role rather than make the jump to Duval County.
The Jaguars only have two coaches scheduled to go through with their second interviews after Coen's news, both of whom (Raiders DC Patrick Graham, ex-Jets HC Robert Saleh) have defensive backgrounds. Mike McCarthy, fresh off not being retained by the Dallas Cowboys, is very much available on the open market.
The Jaguars need to consider McCarthy as their next head coach, as he brings both an offensive background, consistency, and a Super Bowl pedigree that Jacksonville needs to not fully waste the Lawrence era.
Jaguars must hire Mike McCarthy after latest Liam Coen news
While McCarthy's success is without question tied to the fact he had prime Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott as his quarterbacks, his experience and history with developing offenses give him such a high floor as a coach. This team needs baseline competency, especially in a very weak AFC South.
Everywhere McCarthy has gone, his quarterbacks have put up solid numbers, with Rodgers winning MVPs and Prescott coming very close to it. Putting McCarthy's knowledge and Rolodex of contacts through the NFL alongside Lawrence could be better for him than another defensive mind coming in.
If McCarthy elevates Lawrence, that could be enough to genuinely make some moves in the AFC South. The Colts still have major quarterback issues, the Titans were the worst team in the league last year, and the Texans took a major step back on offense in 2024. McCarthy could give Jacksonville the consistency they need.
Rather than trying to bring in a first-time coordinator or lean on a defensive mind, the Jaguars could pair Lawrence with a coach like McCarthy who can get him back on track. The Jags could flip the power balance in the AFC South overnight if McCarthy is able to come in and make them a team divisional foes actually have to respect once again.