JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Jaguars have named Doug Marrone as the new head coach and Tom Coughlin -- the team's inaugural coach -- as executive vice president of football operations, the team announced Monday night.
General Manager Dave Caldwell also received a two-year contract extension.
An introductory news conference for Marrone and Coughlin is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday.
Marrone, 52, coached the Jaguars' final two games after Gus Bradley was fired on Dec. 18 after a 21-20 loss to the Houston Texans. Under Marrone, they won one and lost one.
Marrone was the offensive line coach and assistant head coach prior to being named interim coach.
Coughlin was head coach from 1995-2002, and took the Jaguars to the AFC Championship Game in 1996 and 1999. Coughlin's Jaguars won 49 regular season games in his first five years as head coach, a remarkable average for an expansion team of nearly 10 wins per year. He went on to take the Giants to two Super Bowls.
News4Jax Sports Director Sam Kouvaris tweeted Saturday that Marrone might be the front runner.
Hearing a low rumble, but some people will be surprised if it's not Marrone."
Over the last few weeks, the Jaguars reportedly held interviews with six candidates: Coughlin, former Jaguars and New York Giants head coach (late December); Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin (this past Tuesday); Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith (Wednesday); Marrone (Thursday); Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan (Friday); and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (Saturday).
The Jaguars finished the 2016 season with a disappointing 3-13. There were high expectations going into the season after the team added notable free agent signings Malik Jackson, Prince Amukamara and Tashaun Gipson.
The Jaguars continued to rebuild their defense by drafting Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack in the first two rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft. While the Jaguars defense took a step forward during the 2016 season, the offense went in the opposite direction.
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles didn’t play up to the standard he set during the 2015 season. His performance during 2016 has left his future in Jacksonville cloudy at best. Bortles has one year remaining on his rookie contract and will likely return to the Jaguars in 2017.
Prior to the 2016 season ending, Caldwell said he would allow the new head coach to determine if Bortles will remain the team’s starting quarterback.
“I think there won’t be any mandates for anyone that comes in,” said Caldwell. “There’s no untouchables in this organization, including myself, or any player, no matter how they got here, whether it was through a draft pick or a high-priced contract. My vision of looking at this team is this is going into our first year. We’ve got to correct this and make sure that, regardless of how people got there, they have to live up to their abilities. With that being said, I do still believe in Blake very much. The head coach will have a lot of input as to who the quarterback will be.”
Making a decision on Bortles will be at the top of Marrone's priority list. He is the fifth full-time head coach in the history of the franchise.
- Tom Coughlin (1995-2002): By far the most successful coach in franchise history. Led Jaguars to two AFC Championship appearances (1996 & 1999).
- Jack Del Rio (2003-2011): He left with a regular season record of 68-71 and a 1-2 record in two playoff appearances over his nine years.
- Mike Mularkey (2012): Led Jaguars to 2-14 record during his one and only season in Jacksonville.
- Gus Bradley (2013-2016): Compiled a 14-48 record in four seasons with the Jaguars, never winning more than five games in any single season.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement Monday evening on the hirings:
“I have confidence that one day soon we’ll look back on today’s news as the moment that inspired and ultimately established the Jacksonville Jaguars as a football team that wins, week to week and season to season,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said. “I am honored to welcome Tom Coughlin back to Jacksonville, where winning was customary under his leadership. I know he expects the same in his return to head our football operations, and that’s good news for us and Jaguars fans everywhere. The extension of Dave Caldwell’s contract speaks to his excellent work thus far and the continued importance of complementing our talented and promising roster.
“I am particularly enthused to introduce Doug Marrone as our new head coach. Doug is a strong football man in every respect and offers us qualities that will serve us well in all facets of the team, from the meeting rooms to game day and much more. The results will speak for themselves in time, but with Tom coming in to join Dave and Doug, there is no question the Jacksonville Jaguars are a stronger football team today.”