By firing Gus Bradley on the tarmac last week (and making him still ride on the plane with the team, for God’s sake), the Jacksonville Jaguars served notice that they are officially open for business. But the Jags are looking at a very different landscape than the Los Angeles Rams and their open head coaching position. While the Rams are the sixth most valuable franchise in the NFL and play in the NFL’s No. 2 market. They have an owner, Stan Kroenke, that’s one of the richest men in the world and are building a new state of the art stadium that will be ready in a couple of years.
The Jaguars, on the other hand, rank No. 25 on the NFL’s value scale and No. 21 in media market. Shad Khan is a rich dude too, but he’s not paying a coach $7-8 million a year. So your reach is already a little shorter. So who are the candidates to be the next Jaguars head coach? It’s Tom Coughlin and that’s it. There’s no need to make a list with the pros and cons of each guy because Coughlin wants to come back into coaching and wants to coach the Jaguars where he began his NFL head coaching career. Coughlin interviewed with the team last Wednesday.
Former NYG HC Tom Coughlin is interviewing today with the Jacksonville Jaguars, per league sources. Jaguars off and running.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 28, 2016
There’s only two ways Coughlin doesn’t end up as the new Jaguars head coach. 1. They lowball him too much on the offer (They can’t because the Buffalo Bills are circling him too). 2. He really doesn’t think he can physically handle the job any more (He doesn’t. He really wants to coach).
Coughlin was the first head coach in Jaguars franchise history and led the team from 1995-2002. After they fired him, he went on to win two Super Bowls with the New York Giants.
What do I think about Coughlin? I think he’s a Hall of Fame coach who probably shouldn’t coach again. He was forced out by the Giants last season for a reason and the Giants are better for it as their current record and playoff spot prove. But maybe a year away from the game has sparked some of the old Tom Coughlin magic back to life? It certainly makes a lot of sense to give Coughlin the keys.
@Jaguars Hire Tom Coughlin he's the best candidate for the job. Please. @NFL @nflnetwork #Truth
— Deion Sanders (@DeionSanders) December 29, 2016
Bradley, for his faults, will leave the next Jaguars head coach (It’s gonna be Coughlin. Come on) with a full cupboard. As down as everyone seems to be on quarterback Blake Bortles, the guy hasn’t had a chance under a legitimate NFL head coach and offensive coordinator yet. They’re two-deep with starters at the running back position (T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory) and their wide receivers, Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marquise Lee are as good as any three set in the league. If Julius Thomas can stay healthy, he can remain a red zone and third down machine at tight end.
In today's win, @Jaguars QB @BBortles5 became the first player in @NFLhistory to throw for 300+ yds (325) & catch a TD pass in a single game
— Tad Dickman (@TDickman89) December 24, 2016
Jacksonville has an underperforming defense with a ton of talent that a new coordinator could turn into an elite unit pretty quick. Every key player but safety John Cyprien is under contract for next season. These are good players (Dante Fowler, Jr., Telvin Smith, Jalen Ramsey) that just need to be professionally coached.
The Jags have $22.497 million in available cap space next season to shore up their weaknesses, mainly across the offensive line. They also have all seven of their draft picks which should be high. Certainly in the Top Five of each round, regardless of what happens Sunday. With quarterbacks going 1 and 2 again (and I think that’s what will happen), they’ll have their pick of every offensive tackle in the draft. Cam Robinson from Alabama slides right in as a starter.
John Clayton told WGR Tom Coughlin would prefer #Bills over #Jaguars as a potential landing spot
— Nick Wojton (@Nick_Wojton) December 28, 2016
Terron Armstead from the Saints, Ryan Schraeder from the Falcons and Cordy Glenn from the Bills could all be available as free agents. At guard, Kevin Zeitler from the Bengals and David DeCastro from the Steelers will be free agents, as will the oft-injured Luke Joeckel if they wanted to give him another shot at a much-reduced rate. Chance Warmack from the Titans. Ron Leary from the Cowboys. You can build a starting offensive line unit out of this free agent class easy.
And with Coughlin at the helm, the Jaguars have their pick of coordinators. Norv Turner would probably be at the top of the list. Running the defense? How about Lovie Smith? Or the guy Coughlin last won a Super Bowl with, Perry Fewell?
With all this on the table, Jacksonville fans should be pumped for the offseason to begin. All 12 of you.
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