Tag: Jaguars

Former Dolphins LB coach hired as Jaguars defensive coordinator

A familiar face is back in Florida and set to serve as the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced late Thursday night that they hired Anthony Campanile to be their new defensive coordinator.

Campanile, 42, spent four seasons as the linebackers coach of the Miami Dolphins before leaving last year to become the linebackers coach and run game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. In his sole season in Green Bay, the team allowed the third fewest rushing yards per attempt in the NFL.

During his final season in Miami, Campanile earned some air time on HBO’s Hard Knocks: In Season, giving the world a glimpse at his passionate coaching style (NSFW language):

Campanile joined the Dolphins as a member of Brian Flores’ staff in 2020 after spending the previous season as the linebackers coach of the Michigan Wolverines. The Dolphins finished sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per attempt in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

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Dolphins hiring former Titans, Chargers assistant as ST coordinator

The Dolphins filled the final spot on Mike McDaniel’s coaching staff.

The Miami Dolphins are hiring Craig Aukerman to be their new special teams coordinator, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Aukerman, 48, began his coaching career in 2000 and entered the NFL ranks as a defensive assistant with the Denver Broncos in 2010. He eventually transitioned to special teams while an assistant with the Jacksonville Jaguars and became the special teams coordinator for the San Diego Chargers in 2016.

He later joined Mike Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans staff and was promoted to special teams coordinator in 2018. During his sixth season with the team, Aukerman was fired after two Titans punts were blocked on back-to-back drives.

Aukerman didn’t coach during the 2024 season.

The Dolphins relieved Danny Crossman of his duties as special teams coordinator earlier this month after his sixth season in the role. While Jason Sanders was one of the NFL’s best kickers in 2024, Miami’s special teams miscues included the Patriots blocking a Jake Bailey punt and the Dolphins getting bamboozled by a Texans fake punt even though they knew it was coming.

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New Orleans may be running unopposed for remaining HC candidates

As the coaching dominos continue to fall, the New Orleans Saints may have no competition for their top remaining candidates:

The New Orleans Saints lost their top head coach candidate, Aaron Glenn, to the New York Jets, but they aren’t at risk of losing any others on their list. They’ll have their pick of Joe Brady, Mike McCarthy, Mike Kafka, Anthony Weaver and Darren Rizzi.

The dominos were expected to fall quickly after Glenn and Ben Johnson were free to sign, and that’s exactly what happened.

Johnson went to the Chicago Bears, and the offensive coaches started coming off the board. The Las Vegas Raiders are rolling with Pete Carroll, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ wild coaching search is ending with Liam Coen.

The Dallas Cowboys are the only other vacancy, and all signs point to them promoting offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach.

This would leave the Saints as the only remaining team without a head coach. Even with the Cowboys still open, none of the Saints candidates have met with the Cowboys. Even if Dallas copied everyone on the list, New Orleans would still have McCarthy to themselves, at the least.

New Orleans wasn’t going to rush their interviews; they couldn’t if they wanted to, due to a rare winter snowstorm slowing travel in the Southeast. Now, they can be as patient as they want.

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Saints coaching candidate is a ‘name to watch’ for the Jaguars

After Liam Coen declined the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New Orleans Saints may have competition for Joe Brady, if they want him.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had their eyes set on Liam Coen as their next head coach. The New Orleans Saints have shown no interest in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, but they are interested in Joe Brady.

With Aaron Glenn joining the New York Jets, that leaves the Saints, Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders as the remaining openings. Ben Johnson and Liam Coen are off the board, Brady could be seen as the next best offensive option.

The Jaguars, specifically, are searching for an offensive minded coach to pair with Trevor Lawrence, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Coen didn’t see that as appealing enough. With their general manager out of the way, Brady could feel differently.

Fowler calls Brady “a name to watch,” but not the new candidate. That a similar position he has in New Orleans. Both teams will have to wait until next week to interview Brady during Pro Bowl week.

It originally seemed as if the Saints would have no competition for Brady, if they want him, but Cohen declining Jacksonville could change that. As both the Jaguars and Saints are forced to pivot away from their top guy, they may both turn to Brady as their next top target.

Jaguars’ coaching search directly impacts the Saints

Liam Coen and the Jaguars are closing in on a deal and the Saints would benefit from an agreement

The Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching search has been a rollercoaster ride over the last few days and the latest turn could benefit the New Orleans Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen was connected to the Jaguars as their top target alongside Robert Saleh. When Coen stepped away from the Jaguars’ coaching race on his own volition, it was reported the Jaguars may consider Joe Brady.

It didn’t take long before Jacksonville and Coen found their way back to each other. All it took was the Jaguars firing Trent Baalke. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports talks are going as well as before. The Jaguars are closing in on a deal with Coen.

This would help New Orleans by once again isolating Brady for the Saints. Coen going to the Jaguars leaves the Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders as the only remaining openings. Brady hasn’t interviewed with either of the other teams. New Orleans or return to Buffalo are Brady’s two options.

Buccaneers bracing for misfortune that would be 49ers gain

The 49ers should be rooting hard for Buccaneers OC Liam Coen on Wednesday.

The San Francisco 49ers will have a close eye on the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching search, which may be taking a turn Wednesday.

Their top defensive coordinator candidate, Robert Saleh, is set for a second interview with the Jaguars later in the week. If Saleh gets a head coaching job, the 49ers would be at square one in their search for a new defensive coordinator. With coaches like Jeff Ulbrich off the board and Dennis Allen on track to come off the board soon, San Francisco wouldn’t have any of their reported preferred options remaining.

A report from Tampa Bay Times’s Rick Stroud brings some good news for the 49ers though.

Stroud reported the Buccaneers are bracing for their offensive coordinator, Liam Coen, to become the next head coach for the Jaguars. His second interview with Jacksonville is slated for Wednesday.

Perhaps Tampa Bay is just being cautious after hiring three OCs in the last three years. However, teams don’t typically brace for this level of impact unless they have some inkling the coach is at least part of the way out the door.

It’s worth noting Coen is the lone offensive coach of the three reported to be getting second interviews with the Jags. Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are the other two. With quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a handful of young offensive weapons already in place, it stands to reason the Jaguars would want to maximize that group.

The Bucs’ misfortune would be the 49ers’ gain since Saleh appears lined up to take the 49ers DC job if he doesn’t land a head coaching gig. He also had interviews lined up with the Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, but his name hasn’t been tied as heavily to those clubs as it has to the Jaguars.

Tampa Bay will be watching closely when Coen interviews again Wednesday. The 49ers will be, too.

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NFL coaching dominos should begin to fall after Lions’ playoff loss

Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson becoming available could be the surge this coaching cycle needed. Expect movement to pick up in the week ahead:

It’s been crickets since the New England Patriots hired Mike Vrabel as their new head coach, but the Detroit Lions’ stunning playoff loss to the Washington Commanders could change that.

We’ve mentioned before how Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson being temporarily unavailable could hold back the coaching cycle. Now that they’re officially on the market, the next dominos can be toppled.

Glenn and Johnson represent the top candidates on each side of the ball. Johnson is the favorite for the Las Vegas Raiders, and Glenn is the favorite for the New York Jets and New Orleans Saints.

The Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, and Jacksonville Jaguars, Trevor Lawrence, have young quarterbacks and could be aiming to pair them with an offensive mind. Williams has already expressed his desire for this outcome and Johnson specifically.

The Raiders aren’t the only ones hoping to land Johnson, and once he makes his decision, at least one team will have to pivot.

There is a clearcut top-two for Glenn, but the same could be said about him. Either New York or New Orleans will have to go to their secondary options.

With the Lions out of the playoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Glenn and Johnson schedule their in-person interviews early in the week and sign before the next round of playoff games.

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How Mike McCarthy’s sudden arrival changes the NFL coaching cycle

Mike McCarthy’s addition to the coaching cycle could impact a lot of teams. His coaching resume could enamor a team and push other candidates down the board:

There have been connections between the New Orleans Saints and Mike McCarthy. NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that while the Saints may talk to McCarthy, he isn’t expected to leap over the Saints top candidates.

Despite that stance, McCarthy still has an impact on the Saints and the rest of the NFL coaching cycle. He’s the one coach who could be snatched up quicker than Ben Johnson, Aaron Glenn or Joe Brady.

As it stands, there are six teams without a head coach: the Saints, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders.

The Cowboys aren’t going to bring in McCarthy, obviously, but he could reasonably be a candidate anywhere else. The Johnson and Glenn duo seems to be the top two candidates in this class. Even with McCarthy’s inclusion, that likely won’t change.

The one thing McCarthy has is an extensive head coaching resume. That resume can be debated, but it features a Super Bowl ring and multiple other successful seasons. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a team value that history highly.

All it takes is one team. If one team gravitates towards an experienced head coach, we could have a domino dropping quicker than expected.

The names swirling around the Cowboys haven’t been the most popular names. You’ve heard names like Deion Sanders, Jason Witten and Bill Belichick. Kellen Moore feels like a natural fit for a Jerry Jones-run team. Their first reported interview will come with former Jets head coach, Robert Saleh, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The inclusion of McCarthy mixes up the coaching pool and has the potential of pushing one of the Saints’ favorites closer to New Orleans.

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2 49ers opponents to play international games in 2025

Could the 49ers be headed to England?

The San Francisco 49ers could be headed across the Atlantic to play a game in the 2025 season.

According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the NFL on Friday announced the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars will all play international games next season. The Jets and Browns will play at Tottenham Stadium, while the Jaguars will be at Wembley. Dates and times will be announced with the NFL schedule sometime in May.

Pelissero also noted the NFL can schedule up to eight international games, and that Madrid and Berlin will both host games in 2025. That leaves the door open for other opportunities for the 49ers to go overseas, although teams for those games haven’t been announced.

San Francisco is slated to play against the Jaguars and Browns next year, putting them in the mix to play in one of those London games.

However, it’s likely the teams announced Friday will be the home team in those matchups, which takes the Jaguars off the table. The 49ers are scheduled to host Jacksonville at Levi’s Stadium.

Their matchup against Cleveland remains in play though since that’s a road game for the 49ers. The Browns got onto San Francisco’s schedule by way of both teams finishing last in their respective divisions.

The 49ers haven’t played an international game since 2012 when they faced the Jaguars at Wembley. That year they rolled the Jags 42-10.

With what projects as a weak schedule, the 49ers may be subjected by the NFL to an international trip, particularly since San Francisco has a strong following in England.

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Saints’ pursuit of Aaron Glenn may be more difficult than first expected

Aaron Glenn starts his interview process Thursday and the Saints have much more competition for his services than expected months ago

The New Orleans Saints and Aaron Glenn have been connected since New Orleans moved on from Dennis Allen in the middle of the season. Now that the regular season is over, that process has gotten a bit murkier.

Darren Rizzi got his chance to make his case as the interim head coach. Even if given the benefit of the doubt for working with a limited cast of players, it’s hard to make an argument he did enough to pass Glenn as the Saints’ favorite.

The murkiness comes into play when you look at what’s in front of Glenn after the Detroit Lions finish their season. When conversations around Glenn coming back to New Orleans first began, it wasn’t clear how many options he would have in this coaching carousel.

The Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets have all requested to interview Glenn. The Bears and Jaguars look like better situations than New Orleans on paper. The appeal of Caleb Williams and a talented band of receivers is attractive. Trevor Lawrence is a divisive, young quarterback that can either entice or push you away from the job.

The Saints aren’t necessarily the top job out there. As Detroit’s season closed, Glenn became a better candidate. The Lions’ injuries were documented, and they closed the regular season with a suffocating performance against the Vikings.

Without their top pass rushers and cornerback, Detroit held the Vikings to their lowest point total of the season. These are the type of performances that get noticed. Now that there’s more competition for Glenn, there’s a bigger chance he decides wants to go somewhere else.

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