The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to hire former Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden to be their offensive coordinator according to sources of NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. The deal isn’t complete just yet but the is one that’s expected to get done soon.
The #Jaguars plan to hire former #Redskins coach Jay Gruden as their next offensive coordinator, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Deal isn’t done, but the Jaguars are close to adding a very talented OC with a great pedigree in the role.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 22, 2020
Gruden, 52, is a coach who we pointed out had several ties to the state of Florida this past weekend. He attended high school in Tampa and played in the Arena League for the Tampa Bay Storm and Orlando Predators. After retiring from football, he eventually became the head coach for the Predators (1998-2001, 2004-08) where he won two Arena Bowls.
Gruden also spent time as an offensive assistant for the Tampa Bay Bucs under his brother Jon Gruden in the early to mid-2000s. He eventually followed that up by becoming the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive coordinator where he helped aid quarterback Andy Dalton to three straight wild-card playoff appearances (2011-13).
Of course, his last stop was with the Redskins where he was the head coach from 2014-19 and accumulated a record of 35-49-1. He was only able to make one postseason appearance (2015) as head coach and lost that game to the Green Bay Packers. However, when he was there he aided Kirk Cousins to a solid t stint that led him to become a big-time free-agent acquisition for the Minnesota Vikings.
Gruden seems to be a solid fit for second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew II as he will likely utilize the young signal-caller in a west coast type offense that will cater to his strengths of getting the ball out fast and being a rhythmic passer.