JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are conducting their coaching search with transparency for the first time in franchise history.
The Jaguars released a list of eight interview requests Tuesday, a day after owner Shad Khan fired coach Doug Pederson following his third season.
The list includes five current NFL offensive coordinators: Buffalo's Joe Brady, Tampa Bay's Liam Coen, Detroit’s Ben Johnson, Baltimore's Todd Monken and Philadelphia’s Kellen Moore. It also includes two current defensive coordinators — Detroit's Aaron Glenn and Las Vegas' Patrick Graham — as well as former New York Jets head coach and current Green Bay assistant Robert Saleh.
Saleh worked as Jacksonville's linebackers coach from 2014 to 2016. Monken spent four years (2007-10) as Jacksonville's receivers coach.
Khan fired Pederson after the team's 18th loss in 23 games, a stunning stretch of futility that had a lot to do with injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and receiver Christian Kirk and a defense that regressed under first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
Khan called the Jaguars “the most predictable team on both sides of the ball” in the league and said he wants his sixth head coach to create a level of “being unpredictable."
He also insisted that keeping general manager Trent Baalke in place would not hinder the coaching search. Three of the five coaches Baalke has worked alongside have been one-and-done tenures.
“I think we have a very compelling case on what we can offer the head coach,” Khan said Monday. "I think the players, where we stand on our draft, our salary cap, the city, the bricks and mortar, the facility and our division, it's a very compelling case.
“The head coach needs to be comfortable with what we’re doing. Our job is to be able to provide them with all the resources they want.”
The Jaguars (4-13) have a young quarterback (Lawrence) with upside, a budding star at receiver (Brian Thomas Jr.), a few defensive building blocks (cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker), a relatively new practice facility, a $1.4 billion stadium renovation upcoming and a hands-off owner with deep pockets.
They have the fifth overall draft pick in April and roughly $50 million in salary cap space for 2025, play in arguably the NFL’s weakest division (AFC South) and work in a state with plenty of sunshine and no state income tax. They also went 3-10 in one-score games — an indication they could be a quick fix.
But Khan is committed to playing at least one home game annually in London — even though it might put the team at a competitive disadvantage — and will play home games in 2026 in front of a reduced capacity and play all of 2027 away from Jacksonville. More concerning, the roster has several aging veterans — Kirk, defensive end Arik Armstead, tight end Evan Engram, linebacker Foye Oluokun, center Mitch Morse and guard Brandon Scherff — and no identity.
“I think there’s a lot of good young players on this team,” Baalke said. “There’s a lot to look forward to, and the fan base deserves that. They deserve a winner. That’s what you set out to do every day you wake up, come into the building. We’ve got a great group of people in this building that have that mindset. I do think this thing can be flipped and be flipped quick.”
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Mark Long, The Associated Press
