Los Angeles Chargers join Jaguars in the mix for Urban Meyer

The Jacksonville Jaguars feel like a lock to get him if Urban Meyer comes to coach in the NFL, but the Los Angeles Chargers have entered the mix.

Former Florida and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer has surfaced as a rumored candidate for NFL head coaching jobs, with the Jacksonville Jaguars looking like a lock if he wants the job. But according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, the Los Angeles Chargers also have some interest in Meyer for their head coaching vacancy.

On Monday, the Chargers fired Anthony Lynn after four seasons as head coach. A four-game winning streak to end this season gave the team a 7-9 mark, but failures to manage game situations cost the Chargers some wins along the way too with Lynn as the face of that failure.

Would Urban Meyer see the Chargers as a more appealing job?

In his current role as an analyst for FOX Sports, Meyer has presumably made a home in Southern California. That’s why it’s been so easy to tie him to the USC job, when/if Clay Helton was let go. The Jaguars can offer him an opportunity to go back to where made hay at the University of Florida, along with the ability to impact the organization across the board in the way a college coach is used to.

Jacksonville is going to take Trevor Lawrence (or Justin Fields?, if Meyer is hired and wants him ) No. 1 overall, in the hope they secure a franchise quarterback. The Chargers already have their franchise quarterback, with Justin Herbert coming off a record-setting rookie season.

The Jaguars do have some intriguing talent on the roster. But the Chargers are filled with proven talent on both sides of the ball, so it’s not a full-on rebuild there for a new coach.

With the success he had at the college level, and the health issues that were on full display during his last season at Ohio State, it’s hard to imagine Meyer dealing well with a 3-13 or 4-12 NFL team under any circumstance. Even if it’s a rebuild he is orchestrating in Jacksonville. So the Chargers seem ready to give him another option, it’s just a matter of if he’ll entertain it.