An interesting dynamic played out last night with Mike Mularkey getting the head coaching job in Jacksonville.
Once Mularkey got the job, the Jets gently pushed Brian Schottenheimer out the door. If Mularkey didn’t get a head coaching job elsewhere, it’s possible the Falcons would not have kept Mularkey as offensive coordinator anyway.
Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that the belief in Atlanta was that Mularkey wasn’t going to be retained by the Falcons. The team had a lot of success under Mularkey, but the rough end to the season had the Falcons possibly looking in a different direction.
Bradley believes the Falcons “lucked out” because the coaching staff had grown stale and needed a change. They are looking for new coordinators on both sides of the ball.
Mularkey, meanwhile, will be introduced as the third head coach in Jaguars history on Wednesday. We’ve always thought Mularkey might be a better head coach than coordinator and now he has a second chance to prove it.