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The Jacksonville Jaguars became one of seven NFL teams looking for a new head coach after the 2024 season. Jacksonville fired veteran coach Doug Pederson after the team went just 4-13 this season and missed the playoffs for the second time in Pederson’s three years at the helm.
Pederson got off to a good start after being hired by the Jaguars in 2022, leading the team to the AFC South title and a playoff appearance immediately after Urban Meyer’s embarrassing tenure came to an end. However, a 9-8 record in his second year in charge wasn’t good enough to reach the playoffs. And the team bottomed out in Pederson’s third and final season, going 4-13, which was tied for the second-worst record in the league.
Former New York Jets’ head coach Robert Saleh is one of several candidates to interview for the Jaguars’ coaching vacancy. Now, the team will bring Saleh back for a follow up meeting, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport on X.
Saleh isn’t the only candidate Jacksonville is interested in interviewing a second time. In addition to the Jets’ former coach, the Jaguars are bringing back Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ OC Liam Cohen and Las Vegas Raiders’ DC Patrick Graham.
Is Robert Saleh a good fit with the Jaguars?
Prior to landing the head coaching gig in New York, Saleh was a highly regarded defensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers. He was hired by the Jets in 2021 and immediately turned New York’s defense into one of the best units in the league. Unfortunately, Saleh and company were unable to figure out the starting quarterback situation. This contributed to the first-time head coach compiling a 20-36 record over three seasons and five games with New York.
Saleh was unable to get the Jets into the playoffs during his time with the team and never finished better than 7-10 in any season. Ultimately New York’s owner Woody Johnson ran out of patience and fired Saleh after Week 5’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings in London.
As it turns out, the Jaguars aren’t the only team interested in kicking the tires on Saleh as the Dallas Cowboys interviewed the Jets’ former coach as well. And a reunion with the 49ers can’t be ruled out either, if Saleh’s unable to land a head coaching gig.
The attractiveness of the Jaguars’ job comes down to how you view quarterback Trevor Lawrence. While Lawrence was drafted like a franchise QB, and he’s now being paid like one as well, he hasn’t exactly performed up to that level over his first four years in the league.
While the Jaguars have moved on from Pederson, the team has retained GM Trent Baalke. Although Baalke came to Jacksonville from San Francisco, he and Saleh did not overlap with the 49ers. However, Saleh does have history with the Jaguars as he worked as the team’s linebackers coach for three seasons before taking the DC job with San Francisco.
