Another year, another report that the Jaguars may be firing coach Doug Marrone.
Last year, ESPN reported on the Saturday before the regular-season finale that Marrone had been informed that he’ll be fired after the Week 17 game. This year, NFL Media is opting for the far safer suggestion that the Jaguars “are expected” to fire Marrone.
The Jaguars are the worst team in football. They’ve already fired General Manager Dave Caldwell. Of course they are expected to fire Marrone.
Here’s where it gets a little more interesting. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that, if Marrone is indeed fired, the team could pursue former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, whose name emerged last Sunday as a potential NFL alternative.
“The team has shown interest in former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer, who has been lining up a staff and telling people he’s close to in the football community that he expects to land in Jacksonville, per sources,” Rapoport writes.
It’s a somewhat stunning suggestion, since the notion that the Jaguars have led Meyer to believe the job is his if he wants it would turn the Rooney Rule on its head at a time when the NFL seems more determined than ever to ensure that teams engage in diverse, inclusive, and deliberate searches.
Hiring Meyer also would raise the question of whether Meyer would consider selecting Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields over Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in the draft or, potentially, flip flop in a trade with the Jets, allowing New York to take Lawrence and then selecting Fields.
However it play out, the first step will be deciding on the future of Doug Marrone. As we learned last year, he’s not out until he’s out. Once he’s out, things could get interesting in Jacksonville.