JACKSONVILLE – Let's get to it …
Mario from West Kelowna, BC
Hello, John. It looks like Mr. Khan would like to hire a head coach as soon as ASAP. Based on your gut feeling, how long do you think it will be until the Jags' new head coach?
I don't get a feeling Jaguars Owner Shad Khan is nearly as concerned about hiring a head coach as soon as ASAP as he is concerned with hiring the right head coach, and all indications are Khan and the Jaguars are on a pretty expected pace in this search. The Jaguars over this past weekend interviewed Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo (Friday), Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (Saturday), Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (Saturday) and Las Vegas Raiders Patrick Graham (Saturday) for the position. They also have requested interviews with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and former New York Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh. If you're doing a thorough search under the NFL's current rules, it's hard to move much more quickly than the Jaguars have moved so far. I wouldn't expect a head coach hired until early next week – and that's if every necessary circumstance breaks right.
John from Merritt Island, FL
Why do people forget our existing roster lost 10 games by one score? We obviously have a pretty good roster, which General Manager Trent Baalke is responsible for. If we were in that position that many times, the breakdown was elsewhere.
I think most people realize the Jaguars lost 10 games by seven points or fewer during the 2024 regular season. That can be interpreted in different ways. One way is that the Jaguars had a very talented roster and coaching wasn't good enough to win close games. Another way is that the Jaguars had a deficient roster and that coaching was good enough to keep games close. The way interpretation that is most likely correct is that it was a combination of factors that caused the Jaguars just to not quite be good enough to win close games in a league where how you fare in close games makes all the difference.
GP from Savannah, GA
The lack of enthusiasm in the team this year was not helped by Khan's decision to keep Baalke. I can't even muster a good question for you!
Okey doke.
Bill from Da Beach
John, how do you see the future of Dewey Wingard with the Jags? I know he dealt with injuries this past season, but he has always seemed like a hard worker and a solid guy. What do you see for him going forward? Thanks.
Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard is under contract through the 2025 season and his salary-cap figure is such that it's very possible he will return for that season. Remember, though: The Jaguars will have a new head coach and likely an entirely new coaching staff. All speculation and projection about releasing and retaining players is premature until a staff is in place. Wingard indeed is a hard worker and solid guy. I would be a little surprised and disappointed if the next staff doesn't value him enough to bring him back.
Dan from Jax
Maybe it's time the Jags tried something different. Have Mr. Khan hire the best offensive coach and the best defensive coach and let each train their units on and off the field. If any major decisions need to be made, they need only turn to the King of all Funk.
This won't happen. Because I am the King of All Funk.
Brendan from Yulee, FL
I wrote in during last offseason and correctly pointed out the offensive line would still struggle with the lack of changes. I have a compelling case to be the Jags' general manager. Just saying!
The Jaguars' offensive line pass-blocked well in 2024. It has not run-blocked well enough in recent seasons. You're not going to be the Jaguars' general manager. You do not have a case.
Marlin from Greenway Palms, FL
Dear Zone, Brian Thomas Jr. finished third in the league with 1,282 receiving yards. Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals led the league with 1,708 yards. Chase had 175 targets versus Thomas' 133 targets. If Thomas has the same number of targets as Chase, he leads the league in receiving yards and breaks the Jaguars' season record set by Jimmy Smith in 1999 of 1,636 yards. Do you think Thomas will break this record as soon as next year? I just don't see how he couldn't, barring injury. He could also eventually reach the Jaguars' career record that Smith holds of 12,287 yards, but Thomas would need nine more years like the one he just finished. It's exciting to have such a premier player in a Jaguars uniform.
If rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. remains with the team and healthy for the long-term, I expect he will set all franchise receiving records. He indeed is that good and the thought here is he has only begun to show the extent of what he can do. Receiver is a position where players ascend rapidly as they learn the subtleties of route running and working against secondaries. Could he break Smith's single-season franchise record of 1,636 receiving yards as early as next season? Sure. But remember: That's a hard record to reach. Even with an expanded regular season it means averaging nearly 100 yards receiving per game. You ideally want a balanced enough offense that Thomas doesn't have to have over 100 yards and a touchdown in every game to win.
John from Jax
Hi KOAGF - Clarity, at last. Now, I know why you light up my life and give me hope to carry on. It was Debby Boone in 1978.
I am the King of All Funk.
Sal from Austin, TX
People who think a coach can come in here and "Fix Trevor" are missing the mark. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence is who he is. There is no magic "system" out there. Give him a Top 10 defense, and a damn running game and demand (yes, at $250 million someone in that building should demand) that he out-prepare the opposing quarterback, and he'll be fine. You covered Peyton Manning, maybe you could speak to this.
Lawrence prepares. He wants to be great. Is he at the level of Manning in terms of obsessive preparation and dedication? Likely not, though I don't know for sure. I also know that's a bar few other quarterbacks – if any – reach.
Paul from Lake City, FL
I was talking with my brother the other day about the end of Tom Coughlin's first tenure in Jacksonville. At the time of his dismissal, the common wisdom was that he was a great coach, but a mediocre-to-poor general manager. Looking back now, I think if the cap had been as easily managed in that time as it is now, he would have probably stuck around long enough to get a Super Bowl ring. His drafting prior to when he needed to replace Smith and wide receiver Keenan McCardell was the best stretch of drafting the team has experienced.
Fair.
Colin from Sanford
Hey John, I'm really worried about the future of tight end Evan Engram and wide receiver Christian Kirk. While they both have high cap numbers, they're both players that continue to contribute when healthy, and, perhaps more importantly, give the team a sense of veteran leadership and players who have "been there before." Do you have an early sense of the likelihood of these two players returning or not?
I think there's a decent chance one or the other won't return next season, with Kirk's salary-cap number being extreme and Engram's not as extreme but also not at all friendly. I hope both players return. They're class acts and rank among the players I have enjoyed covering most in my career. Both also have value to this franchise on the field and off. They're the kinds of players and people you want in your building. Here's hoping.
Crash from Glen Saint Mary, FL
OZ! Draft Talk! How about defensive tackle Mason Graham of Michigan in the first round?
Sure. Let the draft talk begin.
Brian from Round Rock, Texas
Do you think the next coach will know what to call his players? The past two struggled. BT?, TJ? Roy Roberts … I mean, come on!
Former Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson to my recollection had no trouble with names of players. You're trying too hard. It happens.
John from Jacksonville
O-Zone: Staying true you have answered these same questions and many like them since Khan took over, do you ever tire of being wrong or is it a gift?
I'm actually pushing 60 and yet to ever be wrong on any subject. The weird thing is I barely even try. I'm just naturally perfect. It's weird. Cool, but weird.
