Rich Bisaccia was unable to turn his interim head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders into a full-time gig, but he is receiving interest from at least one other team that is in search of a new head coach.
Bisaccia was scheduled to interview with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their head coaching position on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Jacksonville’s coaching search has seemingly been focused on Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. The two sides were said to be close to a deal last week, but those talks have stalled. The Jags are now trying to interview Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, but they may have messed up by not putting that request in soon enough.
Is Bisaccia a legitimate candidate in Jacksonville? Mark Long of The Associated Press seems to think so. He noted that Trevor Lawrence is in favor of the Jaguars hiring Bisaccia.
FWIW: Former Raiders interim HC Rich Bisaccia might be missing the wow factor, but players love him and he'd change the culture ruined by Urb.
Apparently Trevor Lawrence would be on board with the hire, too.
Also, Bisaccia is tight with ex-Broncos HC/potential DC Vic Fangio.
— Mark Long (@APMarkLong) January 31, 2022
The Jaguars are in need of a culture change after their failed Urban Meyer experiment. Bisaccia proved in Las Vegas that he can clean up messes. The 61-year-old became head coach after Jon Gruden was forced to resign over a leaked email scandal. Former wide receiver Henry Ruggs was then involved in a drunk driving accident that killed a woman. The Raiders won just one of their next six games after that before turning things around to reach the postseason.
Even some Raiders players believed Bisaccia was better for the team than Gruden. Raiders stars paid tribute to Bisaccia on social media after the team hired Josh McDaniels over the weekend.
Bisaccia certainly boosted his resume with the job he did in Las Vegas. The Jaguars could do a lot worse.
Photo: Dec 5, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia reacts against the Washington Football Team in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
