It’s been a tumultuous year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that’s nothing new for a franchise that has been drafting high year-after-year for some time now.
But the Urban Meyer era brought a new set of hurdles. And it turned out to be too much to handle, ending Meyer’s time in Jacksonville before it could even make it through an entire NFL season:
After less than one year in Jacksonville, Urban Meyer is out as the Jaguars’ head coach, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 16, 2021
A statement from #Jaguars owner Shad Khan: pic.twitter.com/uvGZMJZEtN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 16, 2021
Considering the language Jaguars Owner Shad Khan is using, it (1) sounds like a firing and (2) seems like things are ending on some bad terms. To be honest, it felt like there were times when Meyer’s actions were the type you’d see from a coach asking for a dismissal. But even I didn’t think it would get to a point of an in-season dismissal less than one year into a five-year contract.
Then again, there’s been ample drama following Meyer throughout the year.
Remember how the year began with his hiring (and firing) of a former Iowa strength coach who was a accused of making racist remarks and mistreating players. Then later, brought the circus to town by signing Tim Tebow to play tight end in an experiment that flopped expeditiously. And I’ll never get the utterly too bonkers off-the-field drama that was a too ridiculous to ignore.
But when you’ve got all that, plus this…
Urban Meyer Allegedly Kicked His Kickerhttps://t.co/UE12Ua01On pic.twitter.com/gmXtbfGgsi
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 15, 2021
There’s Even More Urban Meyer Drama Nowhttps://t.co/sWUCh2qLXC
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 11, 2021
… dropping in the span of days, it was only a matter of time until time was up on Meyer’s watch.
A Jaguars coaching search begins in earnest. And while that wouldn’t usually pique our interest, I can’t help but wonder if there will be any crossover between candidates the Jaguars like and ones the Bears *COULD* like. I was selfishly hoping Jacksonville could get two years out of Meyer, leaving one fewer potential team bidding over coaching candidates. But Meyer couldn’t even get that done. Goes to show how bad things are with the Jags.
More tomorrow.