The Jacksonville Jaguars are in search of the 10th head coach in franchise history after firing Doug Pederson at the end of the 2024 NFL season.
Hired in 2022 to clean up the big one-year mess left by Urban Meyer, Pederson had a good start with an AFC South title and a playoff win, but the Jaguars ended up only 22-29 in his regular-season tenure, falling off to 4-13 in 2024.
Pederson, who led the Eagles to their Super Bowl 52 win seven seasons ago, couldn’t keep up the offensive momentum with franchise QB Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021. At the same time, his defense fell apart through multiple coordinators.
Now Lawrence, including Darrell Bevell in the interim in 2021, is set to have his fourth head coach in his first five seasons. Knowing that getting Lawrence back on track toward high-level passing is the biggest priority with the next coaching hire, here are the best candidates for owner Shad Khan to consider for 2025 and beyond.
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Jaguars’ best coaching candidates
1. Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator (age: 38)
Johnson should be the favorite because Khan should be willing to pay what he wants. The appeal of helping Lawrence play up to his elite talent is also intriguing. Johnson could maximize many of the talented young skill pieces around the QB, just as he has done with the Lions.
2. Liam Coen, Buccaneers offensive coordinator (age: 39)
Coen has become a hotter candidate past midseason with his impressive one-season work with Baker Mayfield replacing Dave Canales in Tampa Bay. The former Sean McVay assistant with the Rams can have a great influence on Lawrence’s downfield passing.
3. Brian Flores, Vikings defensive coordinator (age: 43)
Flores can redeem himself with a second head-coaching shot in Florida after that mishandled mess in Miami. Flores would immediately help the defense deliver with big plays to complement what would be a pass-happier offense with him likely tapping into more of the Rams’ extension to scheme that side of the ball, à la Kevin O’Connell.
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4. Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator (age: 52)
Glenn helped make 2022 No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson an absolutely dominant defensive force and can have the same effect to transform that draft’s No. 1 overall pick, Travon Walker, into a transcendent player. The former star defensive back would also do plenty to help shore up the secondary behind an improved pass rush.
5. Kellen Moore, Eagles offensive coordinator (age: 36)
Moore would make a ton of sense, too, with Lawrence most in mind, given his solid influences on Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts. Moore is getting more extended looks to make the leap to head coach, and this might be the right time and situation.
6. Brian Daboll, Giants head coach (age: 49)
Should the Giants decide to part ways with Daboll, the Jaguars should consider him based on what he was able to do with Josh Allen instead of what he wasn’t able to do with Daniel Jones. He can be a sneaky-good rebound candidate with Lawrence as his pupil.
7. Kliff Kingsbury, Commanders offensive coordinator (age: 45)
Kingsbury is yet another name to watch for Lawrence. He worked well early with 2019 No. 1 overall pick QB Kyler Murray and has followed that up in spectacular fashion with rookie No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels.
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