Doug Pederson was brought in to maximize Trevor Lawrence’s potential as a former No. 1 overall pick. After three seasons, it’s safe to say Coach Pederson failed. While there are always other factors involved, the Jacksonville Jaguars went just 22-29 and only made the postseason once.
Now, the search is on to find a head coach who can get the most out of the Jaguars’ talented franchise quarterback. Last time they hired a coach who had won a Super Bowl, but what are the Jaguars looking for this time around?
Related: NFL coaching carousel 2025: NFL coaching vacancies, interview tracker
Jacksonville Jaguars want ‘offensive creativity’ and less predictability
The first two seasons of Doug Pederson’s tenure saw the Jacksonville Jaguars finish with the 10th and 13th-best scoring offense. This past season, when Trevor Lawrence was limited to just 10 games, the Jaguars ranked 26th in scoring. Keep in mind, they had another former first-round pick take over at quarterback, but Mac Jones couldn’t create much of a spark either.
But now the blame has fallen on Coach Pederson, and the next coach will have to do better. Now, we know exactly what the Jaguars are searching for.
According to ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, the Jaguars are prioritizing “offensive creativity” throughout their coaching search. This means, according to Fowler, they’ll likely have interest in coordinators such as Detroit’s Ben Johnson, Tampa Bay’s Liam Coen, and Buffalo’s Joe Brady.
So far, the team has requested to interview eight candidates, they are:
- Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen
- Detroit Lions DC Aaron Glenn
- Las Vegas Raiders DC Patrick Graham
- Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson
- Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken
- Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore
- Former New York Jets HC Robert Saleh
As you’ll see, many of these candidates have a defensive background. Yet, as Jaguars owner Shad Khan recently noted, the team really wants to become less predictable.
#Jaguars owner Shad Khan in an ongoing media call talks up the talent on the roster. “Right now, we are very predictable on both sides of the ball.”
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2025
Clear that Khan wants innovation as the head coaching search kicks off.
Perhaps one of the names above can help the team fulfill Khan’s vision. Plus, even if the Jaguars do hire a coach with a strong defensive background, they can always find a bright offensive coordinator who operates a creative scheme, busting out fresh looks each and every week, like Ben Johnson has been known to do. Yet, he’d only come to Jacksonville as a head coach, not as an offensive coordinator, since that would be a lateral move.
Related: Surprise candidate emerges in Jacksonville Jaguars coaching search