Urban Meyer's tenure with the rebuilding Jacksonville Jaguars didn't even last one full season, as confounding on-field missteps and dysfunction resulted in his firing as head coach back in December. And team owner Shad Khan didn't mince words about Meyer's lack of leadership and trust in a recent USA Today interview -- he actually unloaded on him, posing the question, "How can you work with someone like that?"
Meyer's championship pedigree and long-established success in the college ranks didn't remotely translate to the NFL level. The franchise won just two of 13 games under his watch, clinching a fourth consecutive double-digit losing season. Jacksonville is entering the 2022 campaign with former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson in charge, and they reportedly won't pay the remainder of Meyer's four-year deal, arguing he was fired with cause.
"[Khan] thinks he's got the right combination with Pederson and Trent Baalke staying on as the GM. But I think there's still relevant questions to ask about Baalke as the GM," USA Today NFL columnist Jarrett Bell told Reiter Than You on Thursday. "And when you look at the cultures that Khan's hired during his tenure in Jacksonville, Pederson comes with the best resume of any of them that he's brought in. So, we'll see.
"He feels good about the fact they have collaboration, and that Pederson and Baalke will report directly to him. And there was a lot of talk during the draft, in the last week, about the communication and collaboration between scouting and coaching departments... When he fired [Meyer], Khan didn't really speak on it. These were the most extensive remarks he's made about him.. I think it definitely puts pause to someone, if they're thinking about bringing him in."
Last week, the Jaguars spent the first-overall pick in the NFL Draft on Georgia defensive end Travon Walker, and the decision was met with skepticism from analysts and fans across the NFL. Although he played for a top-rated defense with the Bulldogs -- they allowed just 9.5 points and 253.9 yards per game -- at no point in the 2021 campaign was Walker their best player in the trenches. Consequently, the consensus is that Baalke reached for Walker.
Pederson will be tasked with cleaning up Meyer's mess that resulted in a poor 3-14 record last season. They ranked dead last in the league in average points scored (14.9), 27th in yards (305.4), and tied for 31st in giveaways (29). Their defense wasn't any better, as they ranked 28th in points (26.9), 20th in yards (353.1), and dead last in takeaways (9). The Jags have achieved one winning season under Khan's control (since 2011).
The entire football conversation between Bell and Reiter can be accessed in the audio player above.
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