The Jacksonville Jaguars can now be added to the list of teams who have a head coaching vacancy to fill this offseason. As expected, the team relieved Doug Marrone of his duties today, marking the first firing of Black Monday.
Not too soon after, owner Shad Khan released the following statement:
I am committed and determined to deliver winning football to the City of Jacksonville,” Khan said the statement. “Realizing that goal requires a fresh start throughout our football operations, and with that in mind, I spoke this morning with Doug Marrone to express my gratitude for his hard work over the past four seasons as the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I’ll always appreciate Doug’s passion, grit and class, and I’m confident he will enjoy success in the next chapter of his career.
As the search for our new general manager continues, now the quest begins to find a head coach who shares my ambition for the Jacksonville Jaguars and our fans, whose loyalty and faith are overdue to be rewarded.
Marrone, 56, joined the Jags as an assistant coach in 2016 when former coach Gus Bradley hired him on to the staff. He eventually climbed the pecking order and was named the Jags’ coach in 2017 after Bradley was fired. He was able to get immediate results by going to the AFC Championship during his first year, but it all fell apart afterward.
Marrone will finish his career with the Jags with a 23-43 record and a 2-1 postseason record. Overall, that puts him at a 38-60 figure when considering his time as the Buffalo Bills’ coach.
Now, it’s on Khan to find someone who can turn things around for the Jags who have the most attractive general manager and head coach openings in the NFL. With a boatload of cap space, patient ownership, 11 draft picks, and a clear path to Trevor Lawrence if he declares, the phones will be ringing off their bases for interest in the job.