The Jacksonville Jaguars have gone nearly two months searching for a head coach, even though they had a head start of nearly a month to land the coach they wanted. General manager Trent Baalke still remains in Jacksonville, which is part of the reason why coaching candidates are reluctant to join the Jaguars.
That could change in the coming days. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports the Jaguars are continuing to work toward adding former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to their front office in an unspecified role. In addition, the Jaguars had a second interview with former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson on Wednesday -- signifying the head coaching search might be coming to a conclusion soon.
Pederson is the third candidate to get a second interview in Jacksonville. The Jaguars conducted second interviews with tampa bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, but Eberflus took the offer for the Chicago Bears head coaching vacancy and Leftwich reportedly prefers not to work with general manager Trent Baalke. Nathaniel Hackett was the other candidate the Jaguars wanted to have a second interview with, but he took the Denver Broncos job.
Pederson went 42-37-1 in his five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, winning two NFC East titles and taking the franchise to three consecutive playoff appearances. He turned the Eagles around in a hurry, becoming one of just 11 head coaches to win the Super Bowl in his first two seasons as a head coach. He accomplished this with a young quarterback in Carson Wentz, helping develop him into a MVP candidate in just his second season in the league before an ACL and MCL injury changed the fortunes of his young quarterback.
Spielman has served as the Vikings general manager since 2006, compiling a 132-123-2 record with just three playoff wins, despite five 10-win seasons. The Vikings fired the 59-year-old Spielman as general manager and executive vice president last month.