Head coach Doug Pederson is on the hot seat but the Jacksonville Jaguars haven't dismissed him even though a report surfaced that they were planning to do it if they were blown out by the Chicago Bears. The Jags did lose but Pederson remains in place. If they do end up firing him, Ben Johnson and Bill Belichick have become popular suggestions to fill in the vacancy. Justin Melo of The Draft Network came up with a third.
Melo talked about three potential candidates for Jacksonville's potential opening at head coach. To nobody's surprise, Belichick and Johnson were two of them. Joe Brady was the third.
Regarding the Buffalo Bills' offensive coordinator, Melo says that Brady rebuilt his stock after a failed stint with the Carolina Panthers.
"Once considered a rising candidate, Joe Brady's professional coaching career hit a bump in the road when his tenure as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator did not go according to plan. Brady has since revived his reputation as the OC of the Buffalo Bills, a role he was promoted to after initially being named quarterbacks coach. On Sunday, the Bills ended the Kansas City Chiefs' undefeated season, beating them 30-21."
Melo goes on to say that Brady could do for Trevor Lawrence what he has done for Josh Allen, who's enjoying a career year.
Brady spent time with several coaching programs before making the leap to the pros in 2020. That year, he became the offensive coordinator for the Panthers. After two unremarkable seasons, he was given the boot. He was hired as the quarterbacks coach in 2022 and was promoted to interim offensive coordinator when Ken Dorsey got the boot the following year. He got the job full-time in 2024 and has turned the Bills offense into a well-oiled machine that ranks third in points scored and 13th in points allowed.
The Jaguars are currently 2-9. Even if they don't fire Pederson in 2024, there's a chance they will once the season is over.
Joe Brady will be an appealing choice for the Jaguars if they fire Doug Pederson
The Jacksonville Jaguars witnessed firsthand just how good Joe Brady was. Back in Week 3, they lost 47-10 to the Buffalo Bills. It was their worst loss of the season until the 52-6 humiliation to the Chicago Bears in Week 11.
It's worth pointing out that Melo isn't the only analyst who's mentioned Joe Brady as a potential head-coach candidate in next year's cycle. B&T's own Joe Lefevre just brought him up and other coaches as intriguing options to untap Trevor Lawrence's potential.
Now, Brady isn't as trendy as either Belichick, Johnson, or other potential candidates, but he's certainly got the credentials to garner demand in the hiring cycle. The Jaguars should most definitely be interested and should leave no stone unturned if they do look for a head coach.
And that's the thing, owner Shad Khan may ultimately keep Pederson even if it's not the most reasonable course of action. He previously granted fellow coaches Doug Marrone and Gus Bradley more time than they deserve. It wouldn't be out of character for Khan to give Pederson another chance even if he shouldn't.
But if Shad Khan does pull the plug on Pederson, the Jaguars most definitely do due dilligence on Joe Brady.