Jul 25, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski leads training camp at Miller Electric Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

What Jaguars Must Urgently Understand About Grant Udinski's Decision

Originally posted on Jacksonville Jaguars on SI
By John Shipley | Last updated Jan 27, 2026 3:00 PM ET

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jacksonville Jaguars know they will have Grant Udinski back on the sidelines in 2026, but there is still an important lesson to remember.

With Udinski officially set to return in 2026, this means the Jaguars were able to fend off interest in Udinski from both the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills. And now that Udinski is set to be back, the Jaguars have one thing they must quickly realize so they can take full advantage of the situation.

What Jaguars Must Realize

Simply put, the Jaguars can't expect lightning to strike twice when it comes to Udinski. The Jaguars got relatively lucky this offseason when only the Bills and the Browns had interest in him as a head coach, but "only two teams" wanting to hire a 30-year-old who just finished his first year as an offensive coordinator is still notable.

Udinski has had an absolutely rapid rise in the NFL coaching ranks since cracking into the league under Matt Rhule with the Carolina Panthers. Since then, Udinski had joined forces with Kevin O'Connell and saw his role expand with the Minnesota Vikings before a tour of coordinator interviews a year ago.

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One of those interviews, of course, was the Jaguars. Liam Coen went on to hire Udinski to play a key role on his first Jaguars staff, and Udinski repaid him by performing admirably in his role throughout the course of the Jaguars' 13-4 season and their AFC South title run.

With Udinski getting so much interest from teams over the course of the last two offseasons despite not calling a single play during the regular season in that span, it is clear that teams will come calling for Udinski again. Unless the Jaguars' offense takes a big leap backward and Udinski gets the Bobby Slowik treatment, which seems immensely doubtful, it feels like a safe bet the Jaguars will see even more teams try to poach Udinski next year.

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So, the Jaguars should celebrate today. Be happy that Coen is getting his offensive coordinator and rising star back for another year. Be happy that Trevor Lawrence is finally getting some stability around him after years of change.

But the Jaguars should know that all logic indicates that the celebration will be short-lived and likely reserved to 2026 only. They more likely than not have one more bit at the apple with Udinski as offensive coordinator, and they need to take advantage now.