The Jacksonville Jaguars have been linked to Tom Coughlin since the team fired Gus Bradley. Multiple reports indicate he’ll interview for the team’s head coaching spot next week, and an interesting tidbit regarding Blake Bortles was shared by Jay Glazer that could have a significant impact on the team’s direction going forward.
Jay Glazer confirmed Tom Coughlin will interview with #Jaguars and noted that Coughlin isn't a Blake Bortles fan.
— NFLTradeRumors.co (@nfltrade_rumors) December 24, 2016
Earlier this week, we covered the team’s interest in Coughlin, either as a head coach or as an executive (more on that here). It sure sounds like general manager Dave Caldwell is set on having Coughlin join the franchise in some capacity, and that could very well mean the end of the Bortles era in Jacksonville.
This falls in line with comments made by Caldwell this week, when he would not give a vote of confidence to Bortles going forward.
The 2016 season has been a relevatory experience for Jacksonville, and not in a good way. Bortles, who put up gaudy numbers as a second-year passer in 2015, regressed badly this year. After throwing 35 touchdowns and 18 interceptions last year, he’s thrown just 21 touchdowns and 16 interceptions through 14 games in 2016.
On top of that, he’s set a new record for futility as it pertains to giving opposing defenses scoring opportunities. Worse still is the simple fact that Bortles now has a career mark of 10-33 as the starter for the Jagaurs, and many of the losses can be directly linked to his poor decision making.
It’s not yet a given that Bortles is broken for good. He could also remain in Jacksonville as the starter. But perhaps the best possible thing that could happen at this point is that he and the Jaguars part ways. A fresh start appears to be needed for both sides. And if Coughlin is part of the team’s rebuilding process, it looks like that will likely come to pass.