Jaguars' Bid to Retain Anthony Campanile Makes Great Progress

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars are one step closer to securing another year with Anthony Campanile on their sidelines.

While the threat of the Baltimore Ravens remains, and perhaps the Buffalo Bills seek his services, one team seems to have taken Campanile off its list. The Miami Dolphins have tabbed Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their next head coach, eliminating one potential destination for the Jaguars' star defensive play-caller.

Campanile Not Going to South Beach

The Dolphins always seemed like the most dangerous team to the Jaguars' chances of keeping Campanile, at least at the time. Their general manager hire of Jon-Eric Sullivan meant Campanile had multiple ties to the Dolphins. He was their linebackers coach for years before he left to coach under Hafley in Green Bay for a year, where he crossed paths with Sullivan.

With that said, Hafley has been noted as the front-runner in Miami since last week. Once the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons filled their roles, it became clear Hafley was set to be the Dolphins' top choice. Campanile would have made sense as a backup plan, but that is now no longer relevant.

jeff hyafle — Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is shown before their game against the Houston Texans Sunday, October 20, 2024 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

That doesn't mean the Jaguars are quite out of the woods yet, of course. The Ravens interviewed Campanile on Monday, and perhaps he is in their plans when it comes to the second round of interviews as they find their John Harbaugh replacement. As things stand today, they are the last present threat.

It would be naive to dismiss the potential of the Buffalo Bills giving Campanile a call after they dumped long-time head coach Sean McDermott on Monday as well. The Bills' search is just now set to kick off, so that will be a situation to monitor.

anthony campanil — Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile walks off the field to be interviewed by media members after an NFL training camp session at the Miller Electric Center, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Yeah look, that's what you ultimately—it's hard to lose coaches. I saw Sean [Rams Head Coach Sean McVay] do it every single year. But it is what you want. At the end of the day, you do want to continue to grow the game, and you want to surround yourself with good people. And that's what we did try to do here.," Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said a few weeks ago.

"You want those opportunities though for guys on your staff. It's hard. It's not something you look forward to having to ever replace. But I was really fortunate to be in that situation last year and you want to support those guys throughout that process, even though it might hurt you in the long run a little bit. It might hurt you in some ways, but that's why we're in this profession is to help guys get opportunities to grow this game to be able to do those things and you’ve got to keep hiring good people.”

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