Entering Thursday, Jacksonville’s coaching search was essentially narrowed down to three: Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich — the fan-favorite choice and seemingly the leader in the clubhouse — as well as Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
Leftwich and Eberflus had already interviewed twice for the position, and Hackett was set for a second interview on Thursday. However, that interview doesn’t seem likely to happen.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Hackett has come to terms with the Denver Broncos to be the team’s next head coach. And to narrow things down even further, it seems Eberflus is now also off the board. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, he is expected to accept the open Chicago Bears job.
That leaves Leftwich as the obvious favorite to land the job, but things may not be so simple. Though some reported that a deal with the former Jags quarterback was finalized, that doesn’t seem to be the case. And according to First Coast News sports director Chris Porter, the two sides could be at a significant impasse.
Source tells me that Byron Leftwich is the #jaguars pick but the hold up is over who will have control of the roster. Leftwich wants Trent Baalke out and the #Jaguars to hire Adrian Wilson who is the Vice President of pro scouting with Cardinals. https://t.co/TBlgdwaMEk
— Chris Porter (@ChrisPorterFCN) January 27, 2022
The Jags decided to retain Baalke following the season despite fan protest, and it was assumed that he would stay on board through the draft, at the very least. However, if Leftwich won’t take the job with Baalke there, things could get interesting.
Jacksonville’s head coaching search continues to have a lot of major question marks, but we should get a lot more clarity over the next day or two. And with two of the team’s top candidates off the table, the Jags need to find a way to get Leftwich on board.