Report: Tom Coughlin could return next year to coach the Jaguars

Coughlin coached Jacksonville from 1995 through 2002 before making his way to the Giants

By Jared Dubin

Oct 30, 2016 at 11:56 am ET • 1 min read

Could Tom Coughlin be on his way back into the NFL next season, in the place where his head coaching career began? That's possible, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.

With the Jaguars once again struggling under Gus Bradley (who is now 14-41 as the coach -- the worst record among coaches with 50-plus games), Coughlin's name is "to keep an eye on" if they make a change, per Schefter.

Coughlin was the first coach the Jaguars ever had, leading the team from 1995 through 2002. He compiled a 128-68 record during that time, tied for the 12th-best record of any team in football. His Jags tenure started out better than it ended, with Coughlin leading the team to the AFC title game in just their second season of existence.

They went 36-12 over the three seasons following the AFC title game appearance, but finished under .500 in each of his final three years with the team before he was let go in 2002. Coughlin then took a year off before catching back on as the coach of the New York Giants. His job was reportedly in jeopardy late in the 2007 season, but the Giants went on a historic run to the Super Bowl that year, where they beat the Patriots to keep them from finishing the season 19-0.

Nearly the exact same thing happened four years later. There were incessant reports that the Giants had "quit on" Coughlin during the 2011 season, but they won their final two regular-season games and then stomped through the playoffs, beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl yet again.

That was the last time Coughlin made the playoffs, though, as the Giants went 9-7 and missed out during the following season and then finished his tenure by going 7-9, 6-10 and 6-10. He resigned at the end of the 2015 season. During his 12 years with the Giants, he had a winning percentage identical to the one he had in Jacksonville: .531.

He reportedly interviewed for the Eagles' coaching job this offseason before taking a job with the NFL as a senior adviser to football operations. At 70 years old, he would be the oldest coach in the league once again if he were to return next season.