The Jacksonville Jaguars made a surprising decision to part ways with John DeFilippo after the offensive coordinator’s lone season on the job, and the team has officially named a replacement.
On Wednesday, the Jaguars announced that they have hired Jay Gruden as offensive coordinator. Head coach Doug Marrone called Gruden “one of the brightest offensive minds in football” and said Gruden was able to give the Jags a clear vision for their offense.
Head Coach Doug Marrone on the @Jaguars’ new offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden: pic.twitter.com/k8qZfND628
— Tad Dickman (@TDickman89) January 22, 2020
Gruden was fired in his sixth season as the head coach of the Washington Redskins after the team got out to a 0-5 start this season. He was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals prior to landing that job, so he has plenty of experience calling plays. He said recently that he was hoping to land another head coaching job in 2020, but he was never really considered for any.
Jacksonville ranked 26th in the NFL in scoring last year, and they likely feel Gruden can get more out of Nick Foles — whom they signed to a massive contract last offseason — than DeFilippo did. Time will tell if that is the right call, and Gruden’s performance with the Jaguars will go a long way toward determining if he will be considered for other head coaching jobs going forward.
