The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to be narrowing down their list of head coaching candidates.
On Monday, the Jaguars announced they have scheduled in-person interviews with three of their original 10 candidates: Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
These three candidates will visit Jacksonville this week to meet face-to-face with owner Shad Khan, general manager Trent Baalke, and other team officials.
Coen is set to interview on Wednesday, Graham will meet with the team the following day, and Saleh’s interview is scheduled for Friday.
The Jaguars recently lost out on Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who agreed to become the head coach of the Chicago Bears on Monday. They also appear to be out on Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who has in-person interviews scheduled with both the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets.
The team could still revisit potential candidates such as Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, or Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. Due to their teams being in the conference title games, the Jaguars cannot interview these candidates until next week, in accordance with NFL rules.
Coen and Graham have only completed interviews with Jacksonville so far. Saleh, on the other hand, had his first interview with the Jaguars in person, and it was the only one he’s had so far.
Coen, 39, just finished his first season as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator. The Buccaneers ranked third in the NFL in yards (399.6 per game) and fourth in points (29.5). However, Coen did not have much success during his one season with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, as the Rams ranked last in the league in yards.
Graham, 45, began his NFL coaching career with the New England Patriots from 2009 to 2015. He went on to serve as the defensive line coach for the New York Giants (2016-17), linebackers coach and run-game coordinator for the Green Bay Packers in 2018, and as the defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins in 2019. For the past three seasons, Graham has been with the Las Vegas Raiders, who ranked 25th in points and 15th in yards in 2024.
Saleh, also 45, previously worked as the linebackers coach for the Jaguars under former head coach Gus Bradley from 2014 to 2016. He later held the same role with the San Francisco 49ers from 2017 to 2020 before becoming head coach of the New York Jets. In his four seasons with the Jets, Saleh posted a 20-36 record.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired head coach Doug Pederson the day after the team’s regular-season finale, which resulted in a loss that left Pederson with 18 losses in 23 games. This disappointing stretch was largely due to injuries to quarterback Trevor Lawrence and a defense that struggled under first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.
Khan has stated that retaining general manager Trent Baalke will not interfere with the coaching search. However, it’s worth noting that three of the five head coaches Baalke has worked with had one-and-done tenures with the team.
Despite their recent struggles, the Jaguars (4-13) have a promising young quarterback in Lawrence, a rising star at wide receiver in Brian Thomas Jr., and some key defensive players like cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
The team also has a relatively new practice facility and is set to undergo a $1.4 billion renovation of their stadium. Additionally, Jacksonville has an owner with deep pockets and a hands-off approach to running the team.
The Jaguars are in a favorable position for the upcoming draft, holding the fifth overall pick. They also have about $50 million in salary cap space for 2025, play in one of the NFL’s weakest divisions (the AFC South), and benefit from being in a state with no income tax. Despite a 3-10 record in one-score games last season, which suggests they could be a quick fix, the team has a lot of potential.
