The Jacksonville Jaguars are moving on from Urban Meyer after less than one season. Who are the top candidates available for 2022?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have officially decided to move on from head coach Urban Meyer less than one season into his time with the team. It’s safe to say absolutely nobody is surprised by this.
The question now becomes — who is going to coach the Jaguars and one of the best quarterback prospects to come along in quite some time — Trevor Lawrence?
Folks in Duval County have likely been asking this question for quite some time now, so there’s already been plenty of time to think about it.
Top 3 options to replace Urban Meyer as Jaguars head coach
What should the Jaguars be looking for?
In my opinion, the Jaguars and their management should be looking for a completely different type of coach than Meyer. Someone who actually knows how to relate to NFL players, someone who doesn’t belittle his fellow coaches and players on the team — you know, little stuff like that.
The Jaguars need someone who is going to be best for the development of Trevor Lawrence. They cannot compromise his development any further, so they will likely be in the market for an offensive-minded coach or a retread who could hire a sharp offensive coordinator.
Let’s take a look at the top options for the Jaguars on this head coaching market.
1. Byron Leftwich, OC, Buccaneers
I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of this one until just recently, but how fun would it be to see Leftwich’s career come full-circle like this?
The former first-round pick of the Jaguars at the quarterback position has been doing a tremendous job with the Buccaneers and the Cardinals before that.
He’s got a Super Bowl win under his belt at this point and has had the opportunity to work with Bruce Arians and Tom Brady for the past couple of seasons. Whatever Leftwich has soaked up over the last two seasons, the Jaguars should want a piece of it, right?
At the age of 41, Leftwich is a coach that Trevor Lawrence could grow with. Leftwich has been in Lawrence’s shoes before as the player selected and anointed as “franchise QB” of this specific organization.
Not only that, but he wouldn’t have to move very far to make this move happen.
Considering all that Leftwich has done in the league the last five years, it would be surprising if he wasn’t a coveted head coaching candidate and he couldn’t ask for a better, more seamless job than this one, coaching the team that once drafted him and one of the best QB prospects to come along in the last decade.
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach options post-Urban Meyer
2. Nathaniel Hackett, OC, Packers
Being with the Green Bay Packers and coaching Aaron Rodgers has got to be an absolute treat for Nathaniel Hackett given some of the other quarterbacks he’s coached with throughout his career as an assistant.
He’s had the opportunity to work with first-round quarterbacks, but not exactly the list you’d line up for. EJ Manuel and Blake Bortles are not exactly considered two of the premier young QBs in the last decade.
Getting his coaching start back in the day with Jon Gruden and forming a lot of connections over the last couple of decades, Hackett has been doing a fine job with the Green Bay Packers working in tandem with Matt LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers to plan the Packers’ offensive attack.
Hackett would be another option to rejoin the Jacksonville Jaguars after getting fired by Doug Marrone in 2018, despite the fact that Marrone initially kept Hackett on the staff back then when the Jaguars let go of Gus Bradley.
Nothing like a couple of years with Aaron Rodgers to rehab your value.
Jacksonville Jaguars options to replace Urban Meyer
3. Kellen Moore, OC, Cowboys
This pick must be prefaced.
Do we think that Jerry Jones is really going to let Moore walk out the door?
Pardon the rhyme, but the sentiment and question remain. After this season, if Jones had to pick between promoting Moore to Cowboys head coach or keeping Mike McCarthy, who would you choose?
We’ll see. Things could get crazy.
If the Cowboys let Moore go and let him interview for head coaching jobs, he’s likely going to get one after doing great work once again this season with a healthy arsenal of offensive weapons.
Moore is a young offensive mind who still has plenty of growing to do, but he also undoubtedly has proven that his scheme and play calling are ideal fits for today’s NFL.
Pairing Moore with a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence seems ideal, but will Moore’s lack of experience come into play here? Does he have the connections to put together the appropriate staff in Jacksonville? Will he leave the structure of Dallas?