Back in January, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver said it was “pretty apparent” that coach Jack Del Rio wouldn’t keep his job if the team didn’t make the playoffs in 2011.
After some time to cool down from the season, Weaver appears to have backed off that stance.
In a chat Tuesday on Jaguars.com, Weaver wrote he expects to have the “opportunity” to be in the postseason this year. But he thinks his team is realistically a year or two away from being a true contender.
“We are realistically one or two drafts and one or two free agency periods away from being able to compete at the very highest level,” Weaver wrote. “That’s when we can realistically getting [sic] into the postseason and having [sic] the opportunity to bringing [sic once again] a Super Bowl championship to Jacksonville.”
That may be a more realistic assessment, but it sends a mixed message about Del Rio’s status. It sounds like the organization may be comfortable with another .500-type season.
We agree with the take of Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union: It sounds like Del Rio will have a good chance to stick around in 2012 if he just stays around playoff contention.
Del Rio has two years left on his deal. While many of his assistants only have one year left, it sounds like Del Rio will just have to avoid a complete meltdown to finish out his contract.