Are the Jacksonville Jaguars prepared to move on from Doug Marrone?
By John Buhler
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone is clearly on the hot seat, but does that mean the organization will be moving on from him by Black Monday?
It’s been a trying year for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After spending a ton in free agency to land Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles to be their new franchise quarterback, he broke his collarbone in a Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While his backup Gardner Minshew has been a nice story, the Jaguars are only 5-10 heading into their regular-season finale with the Indianapolis Colts.
Jacksonville is not even two weeks removed from having to part ways with its former executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin for excessively fining the Jaguars players in a way that went against the current collective bargaining agreement. All the while, head coach Doug Marrone has found himself on the hot seat and possibly out of Duval County by January 2020.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, “Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone has been informed that he will be dismissed following Sunday’s game vs. Colts.”
Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone has been informed that he will be dismissed following Sunday’s game vs. Colts, per sources. Jaguars will begin a search for a new head coach.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) December 28, 2019
However, Russini’s report was later conflicted by what Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network have regarding the Jaguars’ head-coaching situation. Rapoport reported that Jaguars owner Shahid Khan will evaluate his entire football staff midweek next week. Pelissero reported that no decision has been made and there is even a chance that Marrone will be retained.
Statement from Jim Woodcock, #Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s spokesman: "Reports that Doug Marrone will be dismissed after Sunday’s game are 100 percent incorrect. Owner Shad Khan will meet with his football staff, which includes coaching and personnel, midweek next week.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 28, 2019
#Jaguars coach Doug Marrone had dinner Thursday night with owner Shad Khan and senior VP Tony Khan. No decision has been made on his future, I'm told, and it sounds as if there's a real chance he stays. Still one more game to play tomorrow vs. the #Colts. https://t.co/PxVcOSXRMZ
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 28, 2019
So who are we to believe is in the know regarding Marrone’s future in Jacksonville? Overall, it wouldn’t do a ton of good to the Jaguars organization if the news leaked that Khan was going to fire Marrone after Sunday’s home game vs. the Colts. This source could be coming from inside the Jacksonville building, or from an organization that wants to create more chaos for the Jaguars.
Could Khan fire Marrone after the season? That’s certainly in play, as the Jaguars may want to move on entirely from the debacle that was the Coughlin situation in-house. This could mean the end of the line for Marrone and possibly general manager David Caldwell. But if it is a midweek evaluation from top to bottom, we’d be looking at early January changes down in Jacksonville.
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For now, we know that the Jaguars will be playing the Colts in a Week 17 showdown with no playoff implications for either team since both clubs have been eliminated. Marrone might very well be coaching for his job. If the Jaguars lose, Marrone may not be able to survive after going 5-11. But should they win, maybe he does get another after going 6-10 amidst the ongoing chaos?