It's not hyperbole to say that the Jacksonville Jaguars made one of their worst mistakes in team history when they hired Urban Meyer in 2021 because they thought that he could turn things around after going 1-15 the year prior. The silver lining is that the Jags quickly found out that he wasn't capable of coaching an NFL team and kicked him to the curb less than a year after bringing him in.
Nowadays, you can make the case that Meyer was the worst head coach in NFL history will probably get a nod in agreement. Sure, he's facing stiff competition from the likes of Lou Holtz, Bobby Petrino, and Hue Jackson. However, nobody will disagree with his place in a recent ranking.
Urban Meyer was ranked dead last in an NFL hiring list after the Jaguars fiasco
Bill Barwell of ESPN ranked all the head-coaching hires in the NFL dating back to 2021 and left Urban Meyer in the cellar, arguing that it didn't take him long to prove he was underqualified to coach in the pros.
"None of the other coaches on this list were accused of physically assaulting their players, which puts Meyer in a world of his own," Barnwell wrote. "Truly mismatched with the NFL universe, Meyer was completely disconnected from reality, including reports that he wasn't familiar with Rams star Aaron Donald. His offensive goal was to run for 250 yards and throw for 250 yards, something that happens about once a year in the NFL."
Barnwell continued, "Meyer feuded with his players and coaches, abandoned the team plane to fly back to his bar in Ohio, set first pick Trevor Lawrence's development back a year, signed Tim Tebow to play tight end, showed little familiarity with who was even playing for his team and was fired after just 13 games."
The incident of physical assault Barnwell is referring to took place when Meyer allegedly kicked Josh Lambo before a game and threatened to cut him if he didn't make his field goals. That's far from the only incident that played a role in his ousting, though. Barnwell cited most of them, but one worth discussing is that Marvin Jones Jr. knew just a few weeks in that he was lying to players.
Similarly, DJ Chark Jr. said that Meyer vowed to put his players in a position to succeed but doesn't recall anyone getting better under the embattled head coach.
On a related note, Doug Pederson also popped up in the ranking at No. 15. This feels fair when you take into account that he led Jacksonville to a winning record and a trip to the playoffs in just his first season at the helm. However, his reluctance to reinvent his offense or cut ties with right-hand man Press Taylor hurt the team the following two years.
This led to the organization's decision to move on from Pederson in 2025 and replace him with Liam Coen, which has been a resounding success thus far.
The Jaguars have gotten much better since firing Urban Meyer
At this point, you will be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn't think that Urban Meyer was the worst head coach in NFL history. The silver lining is that, as dreadful as he was, the Jaguars have improved since they fired him.
Since 2022, the Jaguars have had three winning seasons and have won the AFC South title twice. That was more than they accomplished in the 10 years prior to Meyer's arrival. But more importantly, Shad Khan has grown as an owner.
For starters, Khan made the mistake of courting Meyer to coach the Jags instead of vetting him. That made him miss all the red flags. Since then, he's done due diligence during the team's past two searches for a head coach.
Moreover, Khan no longer has one voice in his inner circle. In the past, he blindly believed what Trent Baalke whispered in his ear, but he's learned to surround himself with football voices who will do what's best for the team rather than benefit them individually.
Fast forward to 2026, and the Jaguars are coming off one of their most successful seasons in franchise history. With the duo of Liam Coen and James Gladstone leading the way, they should keep winning, and the ghost of Urban Meyer should no longer haunt them.