The Jacksonville Jaguars are once again in the market for a new head coach. After the club's 2024 regular season came to a close on Sunday, owner Shad Khan announced that the team has fired head coach Doug Pederson after three seasons.
Despite the disappointing year, the team did decide to retain general manager Trent Baalke, who Khan notes will be collaborating in the club's hunt for its newest coach. This will be the sixth head-coaching hire that Baalke will make over the course of his tenure. Who will be the next head coach brought in? Let's roll through some viable candidates.
5. Liam Coen
Current position: Offensive coordinator, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If the Jaguars are intent on hiring another head coach from the offensive side of the ball, they could look in-state for Pederson's replacement with Buccaneers coordinator Liam Coen. The 39-year-old just finished up his first season as the play-caller for Tampa Bay, so he's a bit raw but did put together some impressive totals. The Buccaneers offense ranked third in total yards and fourth in points, while Baker Mayfield was statistically one of the best quarterbacks in the league in 2024. To further Trevor Lawrence's development, Coen could be a savvy addition. It also doesn't hurt that he comes from the coveted Sean McVay coaching tree.
4. Bobby Slowik
Current position: Offensive coordinator, Houston Texans
The Jaguars have seen firsthand over the last two seasons the impact Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has had. Slowik's Texans pulled off the season sweep of the Jaguars in 2024, averaging 380.5 total yards per game in those wins, along with roughly 24 points per game. Slowik has helped C.J. Stroud develop into one of the top quarterbacks in the conference, and there could be a desire to tap into that and help Lawrence reach his highest potential. Similar to Coen above, Slowik comes from an enviable coaching tree, previously working under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco.
3. Brian Flores
Current position: Defensive coordinator, Minnesota Vikings
If Jacksonville was to lean more to the defensive side of the ball this time around with its head coaching hire, Brian Flores would be a fascinating option. After all, the Jaguars allowed 5.9 yards per play this season (second worst in the NFL) and 25.6 points per game (fourth worst). With that in mind, they need a defensive overhaul, which Flores could bring. The Vikings have been regarded as one of the top defenses in the league, holding opponents under 20 points per game on average in 2024. He's also been a head coach before, so he wouldn't be green like some other candidates. When he was the head coach of the Dolphins, the club was 24-25 but had winning records in his final two seasons (19-14 from 2020-2021).
2. Mike Vrabel
Most recent position: Coaching and personnel consultant, Cleveland Browns
Mike Vrabel could be a culture-shifting hire for Jacksonville. As the Jaguars saw for years in the AFC South, Vrabel routinely was able to manufacture wins for the Tennessee Titans during his tenure as head coach, consistently pulling the right strings to squeeze the most talent out of his rosters. There's no denying the talent that the Jaguars have, but getting it to produce at its highest level has been the problem. With Vrabel, they'd have a great shot at living up to that potential.
1. Ben Johnson
Current position: Offensive coordinator, Detroit Lions
Johnson is going to be atop a lot of these lists, and for good reason. The Lions offensive coordinator has put together quite the résumé in Detroit, dazzling with play-calling and production. He'd certainly inject life into the Jaguars offense and put Trevor Lawrence in the best possible position to succeed. The key question will be whether or not the piece that Jacksonville has in place will be enticing enough to lure Johnson to town. If it is, it'd be fascinating to see how he and Lawrence utilize wideout Brian Thomas Jr., who is coming off a fantastic rookie season.
