From @NFLGameDay: The #Bears coaching picture is becoming clearer as the losses mount for Matt Nagy, while the #Jaguars have interest in interviewing ex-HCs Doug Pederson and Jim Caldwell for their vacant job. pic.twitter.com/DLTe5ZALxe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 26, 2021
The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Urban Meyer last week and will be able to start their interview process to replace him Tuesday thanks to a new rule passed by the league this month. That means owner Shad Khan has a busy week coming up as he tries to correct what was a huge mistake made back in January.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, both veteran free agent coaches Jim Caldwell and Doug Pederson are expected to be a part of the interview schedule. Rapoport also stated that the team is interested in Tampa Bay Bucs offensive coordinator and former Jaguar Byron Leftwich.
Unlike Meyer, all three of the aforementioned coaches have NFL experience. Pederson and Leftwich have played in the NFL as quarterbacks, too.
Caldwell has coached in the NFL for 18 seasons and seven of those seasons were as a head coach with the Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions. He also has 11 years of experience as an assistant, all of which have come with roles as a quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator, and/or an assistant head coach. Those stops as an assistant were with the Colts, Tampa Bay Bucs, and Baltimore Ravens, and most recently the Miami Dolphins (2019).
Pederson, on the other hand, has only been with two NFL organizations in the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. He served under Andy Reid during his time with both organizations, but entered the league as a quality controls coach for him in Philly in 2009. Then in 2011, Pederson eventually became the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach under Reid. He followed Reid to Kansas City afterward and was his offensive coordinator from 2013-15 before getting a head coaching opportunity with the Eagles where he won Super Bowl LII.
Lastly, Leftwich got into coaching in 2017 as he was brought on by Bruce Arians as an intern initially (in 2016) when he was with the Arizona Cardinals. After his time as an intern, Leftwich was named the Cardinals quarterbacks coach from 2017-18 and spent 2018 serving as an interim offensive coordinator, too. However, in 2019 when Arians was named the Bucs’ head coach, he brought Leftwich with him and removed the interim label and the pair won the last Super Bowl together. Leftwich also played under Arians from 2010-11 when he was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.
All three of the aforementioned coaches have offensive backgrounds, which isn’t shocking because Trevor Lawrence is the key to the Jags’ success. However, there undoubtedly will be some defensive names to get a shot, too, as there are some notable coaching candidates on that side of the ball as well.