The Jacksonville Jaguars have lost two of their top head coaching candidates on Thursday.
Nathaniel Hackett has signed on with the Denver Broncos and Matt Eberflus took the Chicago Bears job.
This seemed to point toward Byron Leftwich being the last favorite available.
And with Matt Eberflus in Chicago and Nathaniel Hackett in Denver, Byron Leftwich is the leader in the clubhouse in Jacksonville, though the process remains fluid.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2022
A report even came out from Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat writer Rick Stroud that Leftwich was close to becoming the Jaguars head coach.
Hearing there are some items left to clear up contractually but both Byron Leftwich and Jacksonville are trying to finalize an agreement to make him the Jaguars next head coach.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 26, 2022
That is when the dysfunction started to take over.
Source tells me that Byron Leftwich is the #jaguars pick but the hold up is over who will have control of the roster. Leftwich wants Trent Baalke out and the #Jaguars to hire Adrian Wilson who is the Vice President of pro scouting with Cardinals. https://t.co/TBlgdwaMEk
— Chris Porter (@ChrisPorterFCN) January 27, 2022
Sources indicate Leftwich wants the job, but doesn’t want to work with GM Trent Baalke.
That is true of a lot of candidates, which has limited the team’s search from the start.
This has now created a scenario where the Jaguars can easily hire a top candidate, but may opt to keep their polarizing GM instead.
The Jaguars even had extra time to find a new head coach after firing Urban Meyer during the season.
But it is now January 27 and they have still not come to a decision.
It even appears that Baalke is interviewing friends of his to find an alternative to Leftwich.
Vic Fangio and Jaguars' GM Trent Baalke worked together for four years in San Francisco. https://t.co/hdYEElkBba
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2022
Fans in Jacksonville may actually riot if the team goes with Vic Fangio as their next head coach.
Playing around like this means Leftwich needs to look out for his own best interests.
That could mean interviewing and taking the new opening in New Orleans.
Saints have requested permission to interview Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich for their head coaching job, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 27, 2022
Owner Shad Khan made a disastrous decision last year to hire Urban Meyer to lead his franchise.
He can now keep it simple and bring back a hometown hero in Leftwich.
Instead, he seems to be siding with a GM who is trying to preserve his own job perhaps over the betterment of the franchise.
This is a mess of epic proportions and the Jaguars shunning Leftwich could be a mistake that truly breaks the locker room.
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