NFL Rumors: 3 potential HC candidates emerge for Jacksonville Jaguars 

Jacksonville Jaguars v Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars v Houston Texans

The Jacksonville Jaguars were the first to get rid of their head coach this season when they fired Urban Meyer. That now gives them the benefit of starting hiring for next season immediately.

The NFL allows teams to begin the interview process from 28 December 2021 onwards. That means the Jacksonville Jaguars can hit the ground running instantly.

As per rumors, the Jaguars have shortlisted three candidates for the head-coaching job at the franchise. It already looks to be a more meticulous process than the one that brought Urban Meyer to Jacksonville. We will now take a look at all the rumored head-coach candidates for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Rumored HC candidates for the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2022 season

#1 - Byron Leftwich

Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Carolina Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Carolina Panthers

With Byron Leftwich, the Jacksonville Jaguars are looking at bringing in someone who not only knows how to win, but has a connection to the organization.

Leftwich was the Jaguars' seventh overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played with them for four seasons before appearing with other teams and winning Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Leftwich joined as quarterbacks coach under head coach Bruce Arians when he was with the Arizona Cardinals before joining him in Tampa Bay and becoming the offensive coordinator.

The Tampa Bay offense has been the highest-scoring offense this season. Leftich won the Super Bowl last season with the team.

As a former quarterback, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Leftwich can make the Jacksonville Jaguars hopeful about him being the right person to develop Trevor Lawrence.

#2 - Jim Caldwell

Detroit Lions v Baltimore Ravens
Detroit Lions v Baltimore Ravens

Jim Caldwell is another person being touted heavily to be the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has been involved with two Super Bowl-winning franchises: as quarterbacks coach in 2006 with the Indianapolis Colts, and in 2012 as the offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. He has also been the head coach of the Colts and the Detroit Lions.

During his quarterback and head coaching career, he has worked with the likes of Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford, helping them develop into the stars they became. There is hope that Caldwell can bring that Midas touch to the Jacksonville Jaguars and help develop Trevor Lawrence.

Additionally, Caldwell is known to bring a change of atmosphere to a losing franchise. He transformed the Detroit Lions from a losing team to a unit with a winning record in one season.

#3 - Doug Pederson

Wild Card Round - Seattle Seahawks v Philadelphia Eagles
Wild Card Round - Seattle Seahawks v Philadelphia Eagles

Doug Pederson is a Super Bowl-winning head coach, something unique among the trio listed here. He led the Philadelphia Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl, and the parallels with the situation with the Jacksonville Jaguars are uncanny. Here, too, if he were to get the job, he would be replacing a former college coach who was fired just as he replaced Chip Kelly in Philadelphia.

Furthermore, just as he worked wonders with Carson Wentz, who led them to the playoffs before Nick Foles took over, Doug Pederson will be expected to work his magic with Trevor Lawrence.

Ultimately, all three prospective head coaches listed above have Super Bowl winning pedigrees and have experience working with quarterbacks to develop them. With Trevor Lawrence supposed to be the franchise-altering piece around which the Jacksonville Jaguars want to build, the rumored candidates make a lot of sense.

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Edited by Piyush Bisht