Urban Meyer Jaguars odds: Will Meyer replace fired Doug Marrone as Jacksonville head coach?
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a head coach opening, and the job is reportedly Urban Meyer's if he wants it.
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As expected on the NFL's Black Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who ended the regular season on a franchise-record 15-game losing streak, fired Coach Doug Marrone. Now the football world awaits word on if former Florida and Ohio State national championship-winning coach Urban Meyer wants to take over and try his luck at the NFL for the first time. SportsLine offers NFL odds on his decision.
While the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers also have head coach openings, the Jaguars' job is the best of the bunch (although the Chargers' one is a close second thanks to Justin Herbert) because the team has the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and the ability to select once-in-a-generation quarterback prospect Trevor Lawrence of Clemson. The Jags also have a ton of cap room and a boatload of other draft picks both this year and next.
Throw in the fact there's no state income tax in Florida, and it's easy to see why Meyer would be intrigued. There are multiple reports that the job is his if he wants it. The Jags had fired general manager David Caldwell earlier this season, so Meyer would also be allowed to bring his own GM with him – thus giving Meyer full power.
Pro Football Talk has reported Meyer has been contacting individuals he'd potentially hire to join him in Jacksonville. The Toledo Blade reported Meyer has had informal talks with the Jaguars through an intermediary.
The 56-year-old Meyer turned down the University of Texas job a few weeks ago and there could be health and family reasons why he might choose not to return to coaching. Meyer retired from Ohio State in 2018 because of health reasons, including an enlarged congenital arachnoid cyst on his brain that has led to headaches. He also stepped down from Florida in 2009 due to stress-related health concerns. Currently, he is a Fox Sports college football analyst.
Technically, the Jaguars can't just go hire Meyer without fulfilling the Rooney Rule. That requires every team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one or more diverse candidates. It also includes open general manager jobs.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Urban Meyer be the next coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Who wins every NFL game this week? And which teams cover more than 50 percent of the time? Get picks here from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks.