Jacksonville Will Watch Championship Weekend From Home, but Several Former Jaguars Won’t
On this weekend only two years ago, the Jaguars were preparing to play the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Now, for the second season in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars will be viewing the NFL postseason from home.
And while the Jaguars have been marred in failures in 2019 (6-10) and 2018 (5-11), there a number of former members of the organization who are one win away from the Super Bowl this weekend.
Between the four teams in the AFC and NFC Championship Games this weekend -- Tennessee, Kansas City, Green Bay, and San Francisco -- there are nine players and two coordinators who previously spent time in Jacksonville.
Some of them are castoffs from the Jaguars' past two teams; players Jacksonville deemed not good enough to be on their roster but ended up on playoff teams. Others played big roles in Jacksonville's 2017 playoff run, while others had less significant stints with the Jaguars.
So, which former Jaguars will see their teams playing in one of the most important NFL games all season this weekend?
Chiefs QB Chad Henne
After spending five years in Jacksonville -- as both a starter and backup -- Chad Henne has been in Kansas City for the past two seasons. He was Patrick Mahomes' primary backup in 2018, but dealt with injuries in 2019 and has seen Matt Moore start games in his place. Henne had a 5-17 record as a starter in Jacksonville but served as Blake Bortles' mentor for several seasons, including 2017.
Chiefs TE Blake Bell
Signed to the Jaguars' roster in 2018 after Jacksonville sustained several key injuries at tight end, Blake Bell played in 10 games for the Jaguars in his lone season with the team. He caught eight passes for 67 yards before Jacksonville moved on from him -- coincidentally the same production he had this season for Kansas City.
Chiefs OL Stefen Wisniewski
Once upon a time, the thought was Stefen Wisniewski could be the Jaguars' long-term center after the former-Raiders starting lineman joined the Jaguars in 2015. Wisniewski would start each game for the Jaguars that season but was not brought back in 2016. He played in Philadelphia for three seasons before signing with the Chiefs this year.
Packers TE Marcedes Lewis
The biggest name on this list, the departure of Marcedes Lewis from Jacksonville is something that has made little to zero sense two years following the Jaguars' decision to release Lewis. Lewis spent 12 seasons in Jacksonville and played a huge role in the team's 2017 playoff run, catching five touchdowns in the regular season, one against the Patriots in the playoffs, and dominating as an inline blocker. For whatever reason, the Jaguars decided Lewis had nothing left in the tank after 2017. He has since played for the Packers and caught 18 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown in two seasons, with his primary role being that of a blocker.
Packers WR Allen Lazard
Jacksonville signed Allen Lazard, a former Iowa State star, as an undrafted free agent in 2018. The hype around Lazard was considerable due to his college success and Jacksonville's lack of depth on offense, but Lazard never appeared in a game in Jacksonville. He was signed to the team's practice squad following the preseason and was signed off of the unit to Green Bay's active roster during the final month of the 2018 season. Lazard played in all 16 games for Green Bay in 2019, starting three. He caught 35 passes for 477 yards and three touchdowns in 2019.
Packers RB Tyler Ervin
Tyler Ervin was not long for the Jaguars roster. After being claimed on Sept. 1, the former Houston Texans running back appeared in only six games as a kick and punt returner, playing only four offensive snaps in the process. Ervin was waived on Nov. 30 and served as Green Bay's return man once they scooped him up. He has also found a role in the Packers' offense, rushing two times for 25 yards in Green Bay's Divison Round victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett
Jacksonville's offensive coordinator for the latter half of 2016, all of 2017, and the majority of 2018, Nathaniel Hackett finds himself as a coordinator on a Conference Championship team for the second time in three seasons. He was named the interim offensive coordinator for the Jaguars in 2016 before head coach Doug Marrone named him the full-time play-caller in 2017, a year he led the Jaguars' offense to massive red-zone success and a 10-6 record. He was fired by Marrone on Nov. 26 after seven straight losses and resurfaced as Matt LaFleur's offensive coordinator in Green Bay in 2019. Hackett doesn't call the plays for Green Bay, but he has found success regardless.
49ers DT Sheldon Day
A fourth-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, Sheldon Day played in every game as a rookie and then in six games in 2017 before the Jaguars waived him in the middle of the season. He latched onto the 49ers' roster, where he played in a similar defensive scheme thanks to defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was also a Jaguars' castoff. Day has started two games for San Francisco and record three sacks as a rotational defensive lineman.
49ers DC Robert Saleh
Current hotshot defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's stop right before he went to the 49ers was Jacksonville's linebackers coach from 2014-2016 before being named the defensive coordinator under Kyle Shanahan in 2017. Saleh's defenses struggled for two seasons but became an elite unit in 2019, highlighted by a stacked defensive line rotation.
