Jaguars Coaching Search Update: Day 17

Follow along as we keep track of the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach search, continuing with Day 17.

Nov 19, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh on the sidelines in the first quarter game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The search for the next Jacksonville Jaguars head coach is officially on.

One day after the Jaguars' season ended with an overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts to finish the season 4-13, Jaguars owner Shad Khan made the expected move to fire head coach Doug Pederson.

As the Jaguars conduct their search for a new head coach, we will be providing updates each day until they find him.

Day 17

The Jaguars' coaching search went off the rails on Wednesday. Really off the rails.

First, it was announced that the widespread favorite for the job -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen -- was withdrawing his name from the running entirely. This sent shockwaves through the NFL considering most saw Coen as the Jaguars' likely hire, and it is clear Coen's decision had quite the impact on the Jaguars.

With Coen out of the running, the Jaguars made the stunning move to mutually part ways with general manager Trent Baalke. Baalke had previously been teflon in his tenrue as general manager, surviving the Urban Meyer debacle and helping the Jaguars land on Pederson.

Baalke was then retained as general manager on Jan. 6 when Pederson was fired, with Baalke then taking a key role in the Jaguars' head coach search for a little over two weeks.

With Coen's stance making it clear how the rest of the NFL saw the job, Khan opted to mutually part ways with Baalke and move forward without him in the front office.

This means interim general manager Ethan Waugh will continue to play a key role in the search, and the search could even mean the new head coach finding a new general manager to take Baalke's place.

It feels unlikely the Jaguars could circle back to Coen after he already turned the Jaguars down once, but perhaps he rethinks his stance with Baalke now out of the picture? Or perhaps the Jaguars pivot to Robert Saleh or Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Make sure you stay tuned to Jacksonville Jaguars On Sports Illustrated each day as we keep close tabs on which coaches the Jaguars speak with and what it means for their search for Pederson's replacement.

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