While Shad Khan gave both Gus Bradley and Doug Marrone more time, he canned Doug Pederson after three seasons . Trent Baalke is staying on, which has surprised many around the league. Baalke will now be part of the team’s HC search, which looks to have a certain skillset in mind.
Offensive creativity will be factored into the Jaguars’ search, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler
, who reports the AFC South club has Ben Johnson, Joe Brady and Liam Coen on its radar. Despite having gone offense with Pederson, Khan appears to be leaning in a similar direction.
Pederson came to Jacksonville as a five-year play-caller, but the former Super Bowl winner relinquished that responsibility — to the chagrin of many — after the 2022 season. Embattled OC Press Taylor remained the Jags’ play-caller over the past two seasons, despite the team’s fortunes worsening since December 2023 began a regime-defining swoon. Nevertheless, the Jags are targeting more play-callers, as they attempt to maximize Trevor Lawrence .
No interview requests have come yet, but it would surprise if these three did not receive slips. Although the Jags finished 4-13, Lawrence’s presence figures to add intrigue to the post. Teams with QB issues may have a much harder time attracting top candidates, even though the 2021 No. 1 overall pick has not yet justified his summer megadeal. Lawrence is also recovering from shoulder surgery completed midway through last month.
Johnson has long been believed to be the top play-caller type available, having restored Jared Goff as a quality passer after the Lions acquired him as a throw-in as part of the Matthew Stafford trade. Johnson has called plays for the past three seasons, and the Lions have continued to climb. Detroit’s 68 offensive touchdowns this season trail only the 2013 Broncos’ record-setting attack. The Lions led the NFL in scoring and finished second in yardage. Johnson, 38, has been selective but is tentatively viewed as more likely to take a job this year . He is set to meet with the Patriots and Bears, two teams that just drafted top-three QBs.
Coen did plenty to sustain Baker Mayfield ‘s 2023 resurgence, helping to elevate the formerly maligned passer. Mayfield shattered his career high by throwing 41 touchdown passes this season. Coen, 39, did not stand out as Rams OC in 2022 but has restored his stock in Tampa. The four-time reigning NFC South champion Bucs navigated Dave Canales‘ departure well, ranking third in scoring offense, and Coen is drawing interest in a league starved for promising play-callers. Coen should be expected to garner extensive attention this year, Fox Sports’ Peter Schrager adds .
A Bills team that already had a dominant quarterback has benefited from Brady, who has been at the controls during Josh Allen
‘s most complete season. The MVP favorite had already propelled Brian Daboll to a top job, and his current 35-year-old conductor may not be long for the Bills’ OC chair. The Saints are also interested in Brady
, who coached in New Orleans previously.
When the Jags’ job was last open back in 2022, rumblings about potential difficulty working with Baalke surfaced. The second-chance GM, who battled Jim Harbaugh in a mid-2010s San Francisco power struggle, is believed to have seen his relationship with Pederson worsen in 2024 . He has fended off rumors about a firing, doing so as Pederson took the fall. The Jags considered hiring an executive VP to operate between Baalke and ownership previously, but nothing came of it . Khan did not rule out another search, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones , and said some front office talent will be added due to the present Jags staff being “lean.”
Baalke rode shotgun to Urban Meyer upon becoming the Jags’ GM, and it is rather interesting that the former 49ers leader will be on staff with a fourth Jags HC. The AFC South franchise hired Baalke during Marrone’s tenure in 2020 and promoted him to GM under Meyer. Baalke’s presence will be one of the most interesting components on this year’s HC carousel.