The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off the search for a new head coach Wednesday by interviewing Tom Coughlin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Jaguars’ head coach search kicks off with Tom Coughlin interview
The former Giants coach interviewed with Jacksonville on Tuesday.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
The Jaguars fired head coach Gus Bradley following a Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans. The decision to move on from Bradley capped off a 2-14 start for Jacksonville. The team went 14-48 under Bradley’s leadership.
Jacksonville named Doug Marrone, the offensive line coach and assistant head coach, head coach in the interim. Marrone, who was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and 2014, led the team to a 38-17 win in Week 15 against the Tennessee Titans.
Coughlin stepped down from the New York Giants following the 2015 season. He led the Giants for 12 years and brought home two Super Bowl wins, both over the New England Patriots.
Should Jacksonville choose to bring Coughlin on board, it will be his second stint as head coach of the Jaguars. Coughlin was hired by Jacksonville, an expansion team in its first season, as the head coach in 1995 and remained there through the 2002 season.
Coughlin has spent this season working for the league office as a senior advisor to football operations.
Bradley’s tenure was a disappointment for the Jaguars, especially with the talent they have on both sides of the ball. In 2015, Blake Bortles looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback, but he regressed in 2016. The team still has Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson, both talented receivers, as well as running backs T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory.
On defense, the Jaguars added a great deal of talent prior to the 2016 season through both the draft and free agency. Rookie cornerback Jalen Ramsey, linebacker Myles Jack and veteran defensive tackle Malik Jackson are just a few of the additions who should be impact players for whoever the Jaguars end up with as head coach.
“We want a guy that can bring a winning culture to this team,” Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said about the decision to fire Bradley. “We have our list of priorities for what we’re looking for and we’ll keep that internal for now, but I think [we’re looking] for a guy to come in and really set this culture in terms of us playing winning football.”
With Coughlin’s experience, and his Super Bowl record, he may be just what the Jaguars are looking for in a head coach.
See More:
