Jaguars Head Coach Search: 3 Observations on Failure To Hire Byron Leftwich
It appears the chances of a Byron Leftwich return to the Jacksonville Jaguars have all but officially evaporated to zero, the latest blow in what has been a discombobulated search for Urban Meyer's replacement.
What do Leftwich's reported plans to soon withdraw his name from consideration for the head coaching role mean for the Jaguars? What does it say about their search and what it has now boiled down to?
From our read on the Leftwich situation to why the Jaguars are now as desperate as ever to find a head coach, we break it all down below.
Jaguars had an easy hire given to them on a silver platter, but Leftwich's decision leaves the Jaguars' bizarre search in shambles
I truly do not believe there was a more obvious hire for any team to make this offseason than the Jaguars and Byron Leftwich. Appease a fan base that has been battered for years? Check. Young, innovative offensive mind with experience at the quarterback position? Check. An actual burning desire to want to coach the Jaguars and not just any of the NFL's 32 teams? Check that box too. The Jaguars could have reaped all of the public relations benefits while hiring a top-notch head coach candidate at the same time with Leftwich. Instead, they are left having to move elsewhere, with the public perception largely being that the Jaguars have -- again -- disrespected the former Jaguars quarterback
Byron Leftwich wanted to coach the Jaguars. He didn't just want to be a head coach, he wanted to be the Jaguars' head coach. And it made all the sense in the world considering what Leftwich could have done for Lawrence and the morale of a fan base that has seen four wins and countless controversies, let downs, and false promises over the last two seasons.
The Jaguars can maybe still find a quality head coach, but they had an obvious choice staring them in the face. And no matter what coach they hire, it will be clear that coach was far from their first choice,
But instead of firing a general manager who has earned the ire of players, coaches, national and local media, the fan base, and influential people across the NFL, the Jaguars are still looking for Meyer's replacement. Leftwich should have been an easy hire, but the Jaguars again made even easy decisions feel like pulling teeth.
Shad Khan chose Trent Baalke over a head coach, Trevor Lawrence, and the rest of his franchise
If reports are accurate that Jaguars owner Shad Khan and the Jaguars failed to agree to terms with Leftwich largely because Leftwich didn't want to work with general manager Trent Baalke, then kudos to Leftwich for making a smart decision that many coaches the Jaguars have spoken with or wanted to speak to have made, even if it wasn't to Khan and the Jaguars' face.
There is an argument to be potentially be made that Leftwich overplayed his hand as a potential first-time head coach when it came to reports of him asking for Adrian Wilson to follow him as general manager, but it is obvious why Leftwich would make those demands. It is the same reason the Jaguars still don't have a coach. The same reason Dan Quinn didn't want to interview with them and the same reason they have seemingly been used as leverage by candidate after candidate. That reason, of course, is Trent Baalke. If Leftwich didn't want to potentially hinder himself by entering a toxic Baalke-led environment, then it is hard to make a push against him.
In short, there is a real chance Khan chose Baalke over Leftwich and other coaches, which would by result mean he chose Baalke over Trevor Lawrence's development and the entire franchise's future in general. Why Khan is so bizarrely committed to Baalke is unknown, but it is clear from the Leftwich situation that this search has been about finding a coach who can work with Baalke, not about finding the best coach for Lawrence and the Jaguars.
Doug Pederson is the Jaguars' only hope now, which could speed up the Saints' own pursuit of Pederson
There is no hire the Jaguars can make right now that wouldn't be a complete and utter disaster other than Doug Pederson. Nothing against Rich Bisaccia, who by all accounts is a good man and did a good job to help galvanize the Raiders last season despite a bad situation. But if you are the Jaguars and Bisaccia is who you present to be Trevor Lawrence's head coach just one year after you asked Urban Meyer to lead his development, then you would likely be justifiably laughed out of most NFL offices.
The Jaguars have been backed into a corner. They clearly weren't overly impressed by Pederson at the start of the process or else they wouldn't have taken 30+ days to circle back to him after he was their first interview. Instead, they will have to try to land Pederson over the New Orleans Saints' own potential pursuit of him. Their Plan C or D is now simply the only plan left that makes sense.
Perhaps the Jaguars opt to go with Bisaccia, but that would be a historical miscalculation considering Pederson's work with quarterbacks. The Jaguars have failed time and time again during this coaching search, and as a result their entire hopes are now down to one coach. If you are a team with Lawrence at the helm, there should never be a time where you are that desperate to find a coach, but that is exactly where the Jaguars have found themselves.
