5 head-coaching candidates who would actually take Jaguars job with Trent Baalke out

The Jacksonville Jaguars may have done the most dysfunctional thing they have ever done in their history as an incredibly dysfunctional organization. Rather than cutting ties with general manager Trent Baalke when they decided to move on from former head coach Doug Pederson, owner Shahid Khan failed to read the room in how that would negatively effect their upcoming head-coaching hire.

A clean start may have been enough to convince former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to take the Jaguars seriously. He opted to go work for the Chicago Bears to be aligned with Ryan Poles. Good luck with that... Even more damning, hanging onto Baalke too long cost the Jaguars their best shot to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, who just pulled out.

While I think there is a snowball's chance in Georgia of Coen coming back to Jacksonville with Baalke now out of the building, he was one of three head-coaching candidates they interviewed that got second interviews. The other two are Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. Could there be others they want to speak to again?

So with that in mind, who would actually agree to be the Jaguars' next head coach after this mess?

5. Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo

I am only including Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as an extreme dark horse candidate to get this job for three reasons. One, he has already interviewed with the team. Two, he is not getting any younger, and this may be his last shot at being an NFL head coach again. And three, he has not gotten a second interview request probably because his team is still in the playoffs.

Odds are, Spagnuolo is just going to remain on Andy Reid's Kansas City staff until he retires. Why leave a good thing for nothing that closely resembles that in Jacksonville? That being said, there are only 32 of these head-coaching positions, and the Jaguars have one of them. Assuming the Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship, time may be on his side to come down to Duval, baby!

Defense was the probably for the Jaguars last year, and Spagnuolo is one of the best guys around.

4. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady

Right now, I would say that Joe Brady has an outside shot at this job. The Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator has a game to prepare for this weekend. He has already interviewed with the Jaguars, so that is a huge plus in him potentially getting the job we all thought would be going to Liam Coen. I would say that he would probably take the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders jobs over this.

However, Brady is an offensive wizard that first really came onto the seen as the passing game coordinator of the juggernaut 2019 LSU Tigers quarterbacked by Joe Brady. I am sure he is well aware of what former Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence can and cannot do. Lawrence needs a quarterback whisperer to get the most out of his talent. I would not cross off Brady yet.

That being said, Brady feels like a shoo-in to get the Saints job after Aaron Glenn picked the Jets.

3. Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore

Kellen Moore is the third of three potential head-coaching candidates the Jaguars have already interviewed that are playing in a postseason game on Sunday. After having bounced around the league a little bit, Moore has helped get the Philadelphia Eagles back to within a game of getting to the Super Bowl. He is also a former Dallas Cowboys player and offensive coordinator in all of this...

If I were Moore, I would seriously think about staying in Philadelphia for one more year to see what other jobs could open up. After getting scapegoated by the Cowboys for the playoff loss in 2022, he spent a year with the Los Angeles Chargers coaching under a complete imposter in Brandon Staley. Nick Sirianni rubs people the wrong way, but the Eagles are a good organization to be employed by.

Taking this job would be all about Moore proving everyone wrong with Trevor Lawrence on his side.

2. Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham

Patrick Graham is one of the Jaguars' head-coaching candidates who already interviewed with the team and will be getting a second interview. Graham has had an up-and-down run as a defensive coordinator in the league of late. His teams are usually not very good, but he does seem to have the makeup of a future head coach in the league. Then again, the Las Vegas Raiders were so very pitiful.

For that reason, in addition to the Raiders having fired former head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, I could see Graham taking this job if offered, because where else would he go? Graham is the ideal coaching candidate who wants to see if he will be an NFL head coach before he settles for being a defensive coordinator again. He will have opportunities, but this is his best one yet.

The only way the Jaguars do not go with Graham this late into the cycle is if they hire this other guy.

1. Former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh

The ties to Robert Saleh have been strong all along this offseason. The former failed head coach of the New York Jets might somehow shock us all by getting an NFL head-coaching opportunity immediately after being let go by his former employer. If Saleh does not get this job, he is a prime candidate to return to his former employer and be the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator.

This does put the 49ers in a bit of a bind, but again, Saleh may never have another opportunity to be a head coach again. Going from the Jets to the Jaguars means you better get ready for some more dysfunction. However, defense is what let this team down last season, and Saleh is adept at getting that side of the ball to work. His issues are with offense, in-game management and so much more!

If offered, Saleh would take the job. Unless something else happens between now and then, it is his.