How Jaguars owner may make head-coaching job 'more attractive' this offseason

Many assumed Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan would fire head coach Doug Pederson during the club's Week 12 bye, but whispers have since emerged suggesting that Khan could let general manager Trent Baalke ultimately select Pederson's replacement come January. 

However, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed on Wednesday that Khan seems ready to blow things up entirely. 

"For the Jaguars, the sense I get from talking to people is that owner Shad Khan would make the head coaching job more attractive by also starting anew at general manager," Fowler explained. "People in Jacksonville are bracing for change, but whether that's a full-house cleaning still needs to be determined. But most people are predicting the Jaguars to open barring a major surprise." 

While Pederson guided the 2022 Jaguars to a playoff berth and a postseason win, his teams have since lost 15 of the club's past 19 regular-season games. To his credit, the Jaguars earned a 10-6 victory over the Tennessee Titans this past weekend, but the writing nevertheless is on the wall regarding Jacksonville's future. 

Some previously linked Bill Belichick with the Jaguars in part because he and Baalke worked together earlier in their careers and because Belichick "has a really strong relationship with" Jaguars chief football strategy officer Tony Khan. There's been no sign Shad Khan has reached out to Belichick, and the living legend may soon become the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels. 

Meanwhile, former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is available but could be targeted by the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears. With that said, Fowler indicated that Vrabel may want a "level of control" certain organizations aren't willing to give him. Perhaps Shad Khan would turn to Vrabel and then involve the coach in the hiring of a new general manager. 

Pederson seemingly isn't going anywhere before Week 18 and, thus, theoretically could save his job if his players produce stellar performances across the campaign's final four contests. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Jacksonville as a three-point underdog for this coming Sunday's home game versus the 3-10 Jets.