Since Jacksonville fired head coach Urban Meyer on Dec. 16, there’s one name that has been a popular choice among Jaguars fans: former Jags quarterback and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
In previous years, teams had to wait to interview coaching candidates until after the conclusion of the regular season, but a new rule that was approved just a few weeks ago allows teams to begin interviewing candidates during the final two weeks of the regular season.
Jacksonville has cast a wide net in its search so far, putting in requests to interview several candidates, including former head coaches like Jim Caldwell and Doug Pederson. They’ve also shown interest in young coordinators like Kellen Moore and Nathaniel Hackett.
Leftwich is one of the names that the Jags have requested to interview, alongside Tampa’s defensive coordinator and former New York Jets coach Todd Bowles, and here’s what you need to know about him.
Background
Anyone who’s been a fan of this franchise for a while should be familiar with Leftwich’s playing career. The seventh overall pick for the Jags in 2003, he was drafted as the long-term replacement to the team’s first franchise quarterback in Mark Brunell, who he took over for as a rookie due to injury.
After three lackluster seasons as the team’s starter, Leftwich suffered a season-ending injury six games into the 2006 season and was replaced by David Garrard, who went on to win the job over Leftwich in 2007. The latter was subsequently traded to the Atlanta Falcons, and he finished his career as a backup with the Falcons and Buccaneers, as well as two different stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished his Jaguars career completing 58.7% of his passes for 9,042 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions.
His playing career ended in 2012, and he began his coaching career as an intern with the Arizona Cardinals in 2016, working with quarterbacks. In 2017, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach under head coach Bruce Arians, and under Steve Wilks the following year, he was promoted to interim offensive coordinator to replace the fired Mike McCoy. However, when Wilks was fired following the conclusion of the 2018 season, he wasn’t retained.
Still, Leftwich landed on his feet in 2019 as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers in a reunion with Arians. His stint with Tampa Bay has been extremely successful, and it has coincided with the arrival of quarterback Tom Brady, who signed in 2020. Together, Brady and Leftwich’s offense led the team to a victory in Super Bowl LV last season.
Why Leftwich could be a good choice?
Any time an owner makes a hire without NFL head coaching experience, you’re taking a risk. The Jags learned that lesson the hard way this season with Meyer.
But with that being said, the comparison between the two essentially stops there. Leftwich has worked under one of the best coaches in the NFL in Arians for most of his coaching career, and what he’s done with Tampa’s offense is impressive, even with the greatest quarterback of all time at his disposal.
Leftwich is credited with bridging the gap between Arians and Brady, who have fairly different styles, and he even found success in 2019 without Brady. Quarterback Jameis Winston had the most productive season of his career under Leftwich’s tutelage despite throwing 30 interceptions. He broke 5,000 yards that year and tossed 33 touchdowns.
There are fair questions about how well Leftwich would do without Brady and top receiving targets Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but Godwin will be a free agent this offseason, and hiring his offensive coordinator would certainly give Jacksonville a leg up in contract negotiations with the top player at a position of massive need.
As a former Jags player, Leftwich understands the unique situation in Jacksonville. Though his time on the team may not be the most pleasant memory, it’s hard to imagine the 41-year-old coach would turn down the opportunity to coach a generational quarterback prospect in Trevor Lawrence, who hasn’t been very good as a rookie but has shown flashes of elite potential, especially earlier in the season.