The Jacksonville Jaguars haven’t resembled any thing close to the team we saw during the 2017 season when they nearly upset the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. In fact, they look like the worse team in the league presently.
The team came into 2019 with high expectations for a bounce back season after signing Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles to the most expensive free-agent contract in franchise history. Fast-forward to present day and he hasn’t been the answer — to put it lightly — and the Jags have looked terrible as a whole with just four wins on the season.
Granted all that transpired many are expecting sweeping changes to come at the end of the year, including ESPN insider Adam Schefter. On Sunday, he released a report stating that owner Shad Khan is likely waiting to the end of the season to make his moves within the coaching staff and front office.
Like many have speculated, Schefter stated that his sources expect it to be an uphill battle for coach Doug Marrone to keep his job but the biggest nugget to come from the report was about executive president of football operations, Tom Coughlin, who some expect to retire.
At the top of the Jaguars’ organizational chart are head coach Doug Marrone, executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell. Outside of Jaguars ownership, no one knows how many of these men will be affected by the changes, but this is the group on which the attention is focused.
Some sources around the league believe that it will be challenging for Marrone to keep his job, and others think Coughlin could step aside to spend more time with his family.
Coughlin is the front office’s top member and the most important piece to equation heading forward. He was brought back into the Jags’ front office in 2017 and the team had immediate success under him, but we’ve been on record for saying that success was misleading. That said, when looking at the free-agent misses he’s had, and the terrible approach the Jags have taken at quarterback, he’s the biggest reason behind the Jags’ free-fall. If Khan wants to progress, it’s probably best Coughlin steps down.
The next key piece will be Khan’s decision on general manager Dave Caldwell. He’s been with the organization since 2013 and the team has only produced one winning season, which is telling. If Khan wants things to change, it would be wise to move on from him as well.
With both Caldwell and Coughlin out of the picture, the Jags’ new regime will likely want a new coach, which is another reason Marrone’s chances to stay around are slim. Ultimately, it appears fans will have to wait until Black Monday or maybe a little sooner to know more but it seems as though things will go how fans expect.