It’s believed that Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio is in a playoffs-or-bust year.
That may be true, but he actually has more years left on his contract (two) than all of his assistant coaches and G.M. Gene Smith, according to Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com. Smith is in the final year of his contrct.
This is a bit of a surprise. We’ve criticized some of Smith’s free agent signings this year, but he’s generally done a good job drafting the last three years and has successfully improved Jacksonville’s talent base. It seems like he has a plan.
Let’s say Del Rio does get fired this year. Owner Wayne Weaver would have the option to completely clean house, possibly with a coach that brings personnel powers or a personnel guy with him.
It’s Weaver’s right to leave his options open. It makes sense at this stage, even if it makes life uncomfortable for Smith.
Starting totally from scratch doesn’t make a lot of sense to us, but Smith’s lack of a contract keeps that option in play for the organization.