For the first time in a long time, the Jacksonville Jaguars returned to the team facility without Tom Coughlin being there. The former Executive Vice President of Football Operations was relieved of his duties Wednesday, which means the atmosphere may be a lot less tense for the next two weeks.
The firing stemmed from the NFLPA coming down hard on the Jags and singling them out as a franchise that players may want to avoid playing for. The reason for those harsh statements came as a result of the Jags fining their players excessively under Coughlin’s leadership.
Two grievances, in particular, came to the light this week with the first being a situation where Dante Fowler Jr. won a case for being fined for not rehabbing at the Jags’ facility during the 2018 offseason. The second grievance that came to the light was one filed (and won) by Leonard Fournette who was fined for not being available to play in 2018’s season finale due to an ankle injury.
When looking at the ridiculousness behind each aforementioned case, the toxic atmosphere that was built, the product on the field and the way things ended, some believe Coughlin’s legacy could be impacted. Aside from 2017, the team looked a mess under his leadership as Jalen Ramsey was traded after a saga with the front office, coach Doug Marrone was left to answer questions for the front office and terrible contracts were handed out. Simply put, Coughlin built a dumpster fire and the Jags became a team that went from being respectable to a laughing stock in just three years.
Shockingly, a majority of the players in the locker room felt that Coughlin’s legacy remained intact. The reason for that was mostly because they respected his résumé as a coach as opposed to as an executive. That said, we’d like to know if the fans at home feel the same on the matter.
Did Coughlin tarnish his legacy in your eyes, or do you still view him as the legendary figure who did more good than bad for the franchise? Let us know in our Jags Wire forum.