Before the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Anthony Campaline as their defensive coordinator, they strongly considered Patrick Graham for the job. They interviewed him for the position, but he ultimately chose to return to the Las Vegas Raiders. What wasn't known at the time was that the Jags made a last-ditch effort to lure him, but it failed.
Insider Josina Anderson shared notes about the hiring cycle and said that Jacksonville tried to poach Graham even after he had decided to return to Las Vegas. However, the attempt was futile, and she blames the Jags' lack of urgency for their failure to nab him.
"To that end, interestingly Thursday morning I heard from additional league sources telling me that Graham actually continued to be in demand through the negotiations of his deal to return to Las Vegas —as Jacksonville still attempted to insert last minute persuasions to make him a Jaguar."
Anderson goes on to say that the late attempt was too late, noting that Graham "wasn't going to back on his word" to go back to the Raiders. Later in her column, she says that hiring Graham would've taken a massive weight off of first-time head coach Liam Coen's shoulders.
"What will the impact be on missing out on a desired coordinator target for the 2025 season?" Anderson asks. "Will it be visible? Will it be measurable?
Those are reasonable questions, and the Jaguars will know the answers until next year. For the time being, it looks like things worked out just fine for them, as Campanile has an intriguing resume.
Campaline began coaching at the high school level in 2006 before moving to the collegiate ranks in 2012. He then made the leap to the NFL in 2020 and has coached the linebackers for the Miami Dolphins and the Green Bay Packers.
In fact, Campanile received consideration for the New York Giants defensive coordinator position last year before landing with the Packers. In Green Bay, he was the run game coordinator and turned their defense into one of the best in the league against the run.
On the other hand, Graham also has enticing credentials. While his units have never ranked in the top 10, he hasn't had enough talent to work with. If anything, that makes his resume more impressive. The only game-changer he had with the Raiders was defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Nevertheless, Graham managed to put together stout units even after Crosby suffered a season-ending injury. That's why it's not surprising that he was in demand for head-coaching and defensive coordinator openings.
The Jaguars lost out on Patrick Graham, but Anthony Campanile seems to be ready
The Jacksonville Jaguars thought that hiring Ryan Nielsen last year would help them get the most out of defense that underachieved in 2023. They were wrong.
Nielsen preached that he would put an emphasis on fundamentals and technique. However, players were often out of place and failed to execute their assignments, and the Jags ended up with one of the worst defenses in the league. After the season, Eugene Frenette of The Florida Times-Union reported that his arrogant demeanor was a turnoff for players. That could partly explain the defense's struggles in 2024.
Now, Campanile will be tasked with getting the most out of an underwhelming unit. Working in his favor is that he seems to have the skills to connect and motivate players, traits that his predecessor lacked.
Liam said he wants savages, here’s your DC then!! I need this maniac leading my defense. #Duuuval pic.twitter.com/KyMQqYd6xE
— Keso (@Keso55288156) January 29, 2025
Granted, Patrick Graham's experience could come in handy, and there's no guarantee Campanile's track record will translate into success at the coordinator position. That said, he's shown enough (and interviewed well) to make you think that he'll have a realistic chance of getting the Jaguars defense going.