Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 mainstream replacements for Gus Bradley

Dec 11, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley yells out during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings at EverBank Field. The Vikings won 25-16. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

The Jacksonville Jaguars are done with the horrendous Gus Bradley era but are now in the market for a new head coach. Here are five mainstream options.

Mainstream options for head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars will be difficult to attract. Mainstream head coaching options want to be part of a team that can win and the Jags have not shown they can win since 2007.

While owner Shad Khan believes the roster is “extremely talented” and is retaining general manager Dave Caldwell (for now, at least) , that may make things more difficult in attracting top talent. Many coaches with past head coaching experience may want to more control over things than Caldwell and Khan are willing to give them.

But that won’t dissuade us from contemplating some possible mainstream replacements for the Jaguars! It’s all up in the air for now and Caldwell will have to assess who can be a good fit and try to lure someone to Jacksonville after so many years of struggling.

At this point, almost anybody can do better than Bradley. Bradley’s 14-48 record was the worst in modern NFL history, suggesting that the Jags can only do better. Hopefully that is true, even though there is theoretically room to get worse. It’s hard to imagine Khan’s patience lasts that long again.

Time for the Jags to find the next Tom Coughlin-type man to lead the franchise for a long, time. Hopefully that tenure leads to many more wins.

Without further ado, let’s look at five possible mainstream replacements for Gus Bradley.

Aug 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz prior to action against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

1) Jim Schwartz, former Detroit Lions head coach

If the Jacksonville Jaguars want to make a clear break from the losing culture under Bradley, there’s no easier decision than hiring Jim Schwartz away from the Philadelphia Eagles where he is the current defensive coordinator.

Schwartz is an aggressive personality who is incredibly demanding. The Lions had a lot of attitude during his tenure. That aggressive attitude acted as a catalyst for perpetually inept Lions, leading to an impressive 10-6 record in 2011.

Unfortunately, Schwartz’s overall record is just 29-51 as a head coach. The Lions struggled to win throughout his time as head coach, but they were often competitive in a tough NFC North division.

Still, Schwartz would be a valuable addition for the team, especially with his specialty on defense. Todd Wash has done well as defensive coordinator in 2016, but the Jags were historically bad prior to 2016. Schwartz’s defense has been in the better half of the league starting in 2012 and the 2015 Buffalo Bills defense he headed was a top-five unit.

Schwartz’s bravado and fiery personality may be his biggest appeal along with his experience as a head coach. He is expected to be in demand following the 2016 season and the Jags would have to court him down to Jacksonville.

Sep 13, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars assistant head coach Doug Marrone in the fourth quarter of their game against the Carolina Panthers at EverBank Field. The Carolina Panthers won 20-9. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

2) Doug Marrone, former Buffalo Bills head coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t necessarily have to go far to find a mainstream head coach. Doug Marrone has served as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach since joining the team in 2015.

Marrone left the Buffalo Bills voluntarily after the 2014 season. He was at the helm for just two seasons before leaving. The Bills were coming off their best season since 2004, having finished 9-7.

That is a major knock against Marrone, even if he has the relationship with the Jaguars that may be beneficial in the coaching search. Head coaches generally don’t walk away from teams, abandoning them in the middle of their contracts.

Marrone’s tenure as a head coach has been brief, just two seasons, but that 2014 season shows promise. The Bills, like the current Jaguars, were moderately talented but struggling to win and be relevant. Marrone made them winners, moving from 6-10 to 9-7 in two seasons.

Being tied to the Jaguars already makes this a less exciting move. Marrone hasn’t been responsible for the whole offense or disaster of the whole team, but he has been a part of it. The offensive line has been less than stellar.

Still, Marrone was instrumental in bringing current offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to the team as the quarterbacks coach and he has been part of an offensive brain trust that set franchise record in 2015. If Marrone has even a little bit of that magic, he’s worth considering.

Dec 4, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels before their game against the Los Angeles Rams at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

3) Josh McDaniels, former Denver Broncos head coach

Josh McDaniels is back with the New England Patriots, serving as offensive coordinator again after leaving the Denver Broncos following the 2010 season. McDaniels famously drafted Tim Tebow and worked with him and Kyle Orton at quarterback.

Without Tebow, McDaniels may have been a much better head coach. Instead, he struggled to just an 11-17 record before being dismissed after Week 13 of the 2010 season.

While his head coaching record shouldn’t be ignored (as is one of the reasons he’s a mainstream candidate) his offensive coordinator work is the key reason to consider McDaniels. In two stints with the Patriots, Daniels has never had an offense ranked worse than 11th. He has four top-five seasons in eight seasons with the Patriots (including 2016).

That’s the kind of offensive production the Jacksonville Jaguars desperately need. While McDaniels has Tom Brady, the Patriots have consistently been innovative and tailor the offense to the talent on the roster. That’s exactly what the Jags need with plenty of talent that is underutilized on the roster.

One other key thing to consider is that Bill Belichick turns to McDaniels to lead his offense. Belichick has brought McDaniels up from a coaching assistant to quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator (twice). If McDaniels is good enough for Belichick, he’s got to be good enough for the Jaguars.

Aug 11, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan before a game against the Washington Redskins at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

4) Kyle Shanahan, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator

The only non-former head coach on this list, Kyle Shanahan is a popular coordinator with the possibility of being hired by another team to be a head coach. He has the pedigree and the past performance to justify the move.

Shanahan has completely enlivened the Atlanta Falcons, turning Matt Ryan and the Falcons into one of the most exciting offenses in the NFL. They are currently ranked as the third most productive offensive in yardage and the top scoring offense in the NFL.

Perhaps more importantly, Shanahan has had success wherever he’s been. The Falcons were seventh in 2014 and he also coordinated top-10 seasons with the Houston Texans and Washington Redskins. Shanahan even managed to make the Cleveland Browns somewhat relevant in 2014, bolstering that unit to 23rd in the NFL. Overall, Shanahan has had six top-10 offenses in nine seasons as an offensive coordinator.

It is risky to elevate a high-performing coordinator to be the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jags found that out the hard way with Gus Bradley. Based on Shanahan’s longevity and consistent performance, however, this seems like a far less risky move.

Nov 30, 2014; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley (L) shakes hands with New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin (R) after their game at EverBank Field. The Jaguars won 25-24. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

5) Tom Coughlin, former New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars head coach

Tom Coughlin has taken the year off, not acting as a head coach for any team in the NFL. He’s expected to be a part of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coaching search or decision, serving the team that gave him his first NFL head coaching gig again.

However, he could serve as head coach as well. He’s reportedly ready to coach again, even at age 70.