3 Observations on Jaguars Failing to Land Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson has made his choice.

The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator has officially landed with the Chicago Bears, and the dreams and hopes of him leading Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars' next year are now dead and buried.

So, what do we make of it and where do the Jaguars go from here? We break it down below.

Trent Baalke's role in Ben Johnson's decision

If there was one singular reason why I think the Jaguars weren't even in position to get a second interview with Johnson, it is general manager Trent Baalke. For whatever reasons he has, it has been the NFL's worst-kept secret that Johnson would have reservations about the Jaguars job with Baalke in place as general manager. As much was confirmed by two different insiders at The Athletic in the immediate wake of Johnson's hiring.

So, why did the Jaguars retain Baalke if they knew it could impact the search? The simple answer is that owner Shad Khan does not think Baalke is an issue; he respects and trusts him, leans on him quite a bit in terms of decision-making, and thinks the team has made progress in terms of drafts, trades, extensions, and managing the cap space under Baalke. Khan said as much two weeks ago in his post-regular season Zoom.

If you put yourselves in Khan's shoes, it does seem like it would take a leap of faith to revoke all of that trust and respect for one singular coach. Perhaps if every candidate felt the same way about the Jaguars' set up, that would have changed. But it seems very far from the case that this is how every other candidate views the job, nor does any candidate have the leverage that Johnson had/has.

With that said, do not be fooled into thinking that the Jaguars didn't have interest in Johnson, even if some try to make that narrative come to life. They absolutely did.

Where the Jaguars should pivot

The obvious pivot for the Jaguars seems to be Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen. The Jaguars have been impressed with him for some time and he nailed his initial interview with the franchise. Perhaps the Jaguars turn to Robert Saleh or Aaron Glenn, but I still believe the Jaguars want an offensive coach and play-caller.

And in terms of the best candidates from that perspective, Coen is seemingly well above the other three offensive coordinators in the running -- both from a play-calling and leadership standpoint. Plus, the Jaguars wouldn't even be able to speak to two of those coordinators until next week since they are playing in the conference championship.

Why this isn't exactly doomsday

Frankly, I do not think this is a doomsday scenario for the Jaguars. And I say that as someone who views Johnson as a genius play-caller and the best head coach candidate in years. It surely isn't a good thing the Jaguars lost out on Johnson and could not even get a second interview, but the Jaguars do have options.

If this was 2022 and there was a serious lack of other quality candidates, then yeah, this would be a big issue. But Coen and Glenn are quality candidates and other candidates like Saleh and Brian Flores at least have head coach expierence and are top defensive minds. The Jaguars can still land a quality coach.

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