The Jacksonville Jaguars’ search for their organization’s ninth head coach may soon be coming to an end. Longtime fans of the franchise will recognize Byron Leftwich from when the Jags selected him seventh overall back in 2003, but now he’s reportedly close to becoming their head coach.
After conducting a thorough search that saw the team interview several qualified candidates, the decision-makers in Jacksonville appear to have settled on the former quarterback who’s been coaching Tom Brady for the past two seasons in Tampa Bay.
While the verbiage is a bit odd, according to Pro Football Network, Leftwich and the organization were negotiating a contract to bring the nine-year NFL vet back to Duval as of Tuesday night, while there for his second interview with the team which lasted as long as eight hours.
Byron Leftwich has quickly earned respect among his peers
Although it may seem like it hasn’t been that long since Byron Leftwich was seen throwing passes in an NFL game, he’s been retired since 2012.
It didn’t take long for Leftwich to resurface, but this time as a coach, with the Arizona Cardinals. Bruce Arians was on Pittsburgh’s staff during Leftwich’s stint with the Steelers, so their connection led to a coaching internship in Arizona, where Arians assigned him with training the team’s QBs. The following season, the Cardinals officially hired him to be their quarterbacks coach.
Later in the year, Leftwich received a promotion to offensive coordinator once the team fired Mike McCoy. Leftwich was later let go when the rest of the staff was fired.
Once again, Leftwich landed on his feet with Arians, this time as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, taking on the task of helping Jameis Winston. While Winston produced a 5,000-yard season, he also became the first QB to have a 30 TD, 30 INT season. Then, Tom Brady came along the following season and the rest is history. Leftwich helped the Bucs win a Super Bowl.
From his experience in Tampa, there has been nothing but rave reviews for Leftwich, from TB12 to Arians and more. Helping the Bucs finish with a top-seven offense in total yards gained and points scored each of the past three seasons, Leftwich has shown he’s plenty deserving of earning a larger opportunity elsewhere.
Now, just six years after his coaching career got started, the Jags appear ready to hand Leftwich the keys. If he can unleash some of Trevor Lawrence’s hidden potential, it can be a home-run hire.
