3 Observations Entering Round 2 of Interviews

The Jacksonville Jaguars search for a new head coach is set to shift into another gear this week.

The Jaguars and the other five NFL teams without a head coach can begin to speak to contracted candidates in person this week; as of this writing, only New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has had an in-person interview with the Jaguars so far.

So with the Jaguars officially set to hit round two of the search process this week with in-person interviews, what do we think of the search so far? We break it down below.

Lions loss changed entire course of Jaguars search, and likely several others

I think it is fair to say most teams across the NFL were surprised to see the results of the Detroit Lions’ divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders. The Lions have been a trendy Super Bowl pick since they barely fell short of making it last year, and their dominant regular season didn’t make anyone think it could end any differently.

Simply put, I do not know if any of the five teams in the running for Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn would have made a decision at head coach until talking to the two star Lions coordinators in person first. And once Johnson and Glenn get offers and take jobs, the rest of the dominoes will start to fall around the NFL.

These dominoes were expected to start falling next week — and even later if the Lions made the Super Bowl. But now each coach is available earlier than anyone ever thought they would be, and I would imagine this helps speed up the Jaguars’ process along with everyone else.

Jaguars search looks much different than any other team

It is hard to compare the Jaguars’ search to any other team in this year’s cycle. The New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders have had small interview lists, and it sure seems like each team has its favorites for the jobs in Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. While I am sure the Jaguars have internal favorites, I do not think their search has been narrow enough to indicate that they are locked in on only one or two options.

Then there are the Chicago Bears and New York Jets, who are interviewing nearly a combined 40 candidates between the two of them. If the Jaguars have cast a wide net, then the Bears and Jets are trying to cast a record-setting one. It truly seems like both teams are waiting for other dominoes to fall, and each search has seemingly gotten to the point where they are getting too much information.

Compared to those four, the Jaguars’ 10-candidate list falls right in the middle. Not too hot, not too cold; just right.

Our best guess on where the Jaguars lean

There is likely still quite a bit of waiting time until we know who the Jaguars ultimately pick as their next head coach, but there has also been enough of a search to this point for us to be able to make an educated guess on which way the winds are blowing.

While coaches like Robert Saleh and Aaron Glenn have garnered attention when it comes to the Jaguars search, I personally believe all roads will lead back to two other names: Ben Johnson and Liam Coen. Saleh and Glenn are good choices (Glenn, like Coen, had an impressive interview with the team), but I entered the search thinking Johnson and Coen were the two best fits for the Jaguars and nothing I have seen or heard since then has made me change my tune.

I personally believe the Jaguars are gunning for an offensive-minded head coach, and these are the two I think they will covet the most. For Johnson, it seems like the Jaguars are not nearly as out of the race as people try to make it seem.

My ultimate guess: I think if Johnson is not the hire, then Coen will be. Maybe the second round of interviews will change that, but that is where I personally sit right now.

And for what it is worth, those are the two names I think the team should look to hire.

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