The Jacksonville Jaguars were one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams during the 2024 season. Jacksonville finished the regular season with a 4-13 record, earning a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL draft. As a result, the Jaguars dismissed coach Doug Pederson on Monday. Now the Jaguars are looking for a new head coach.
Jacksonville is one of several NFL teams who are interested in Detroit’s offensive coordinator. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jaguars have asked permission to talk with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson.
The Patriots and Bears have also asked to speak with Johnson.
The Lions are the top seed in the NFC playoffs. Since Detroit is on a bye week, Johnson has a window from Thursday until Saturday to do virtual interviews. Of course, Johnson is under no obligation to take any head coaching interviews.
Johnson is a popular name on the coaching scene, but he is not promised a position. He has opted to return to the Lions for the past two years in a row, removing himself from contention.
Jaguars supporters will be relieved to learn that their club is not placing all of its eggs in the Ben Johnson basket.
The Jaguars have also wanted to speak with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Cohen. This is his first documented head coaching interview request throughout this employment cycle. Tampa Bay is playing in the Wild Card round, so Jacksonville will have to wait before interviewing Cohen.
Who should the Jaguars hire as their next head coach?
The Jaguars have one of the more intriguing head coaching jobs to monitor this summer.
Jacksonville has a lot going for them, including a young and promising franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, who is signed to a long-term contract. However, they may not be the first option on every candidate’s list.—–
Many in the Jaguars organization think that maintaining GM Trent Baalke will make it more difficult to hire elite talent as head coach. This might be especially true for Ben Johnson, who is said to seek a solid relationship with a general manager if he accepts a head coaching position.
Jacksonville is likely to seek an offensive-minded head coach to partner with Trevor Lawrence. Ben Johnson and Liam Cohen are two prominent names associated with the Jaguars. Jacksonville wants to interview both of them.
Other offensive-minded head coach prospects include Joe Brady, Todd Monken, Kliff Kingsbury, and Bobby Slowik.
The Jaguars will undoubtedly interview more than two candidates for the head coaching position. It’ll be interesting to see who they choose to interview next.
