Jaguars' Darrell Bevell interested in keeping head coaching job permanently
Jaguars' Darrell Bevell has not had a conversation with owner Shad Khan yet about joining the field of candidates vying to become the franchise's next head coach.
But Bevell expressed an interest in the job on Wednesday.
''I've not had any conversations about that up to this point, you know, up to this point,'' Bevell said Wednesday. ''Right now, we're mired in this COVID-19 stuff, you know just trying to get a team out there. But as far as being interested, I would be, yes.''
Bevell was elevated to interim head coach when Urban Meyer was fired on Dec. 16 after 13 games. Since taking over, Bevell has fared 0-2 with losses against the lowly Houston Texans and New York Jets.
Bevell is not listed among the wide range of candidates the Jaguars plan to interview over the next week or so. That list includes former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson; former Indianapolis Colts and Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell; Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who held the same job with the Jaguars in 2016-18; and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Pederson and Caldwell are expected to interview for the job this week.
Peterson, 53, began his coaching career under Andy Reid, serving as an assistant for the Eagles from 2009-12. After Reid became the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013, Pederson followed him to serve as the Chiefs' offensive coordinator. He returned to the Eagles as their head coach in 2016, a position he held for five seasons. He led the Eagles to the first Super Bowl title in franchise history during the 2017 season. Pederson played 13 seasons in the NFL as a backup quarterback
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Caldwell, 66, was the Detroit Lions' head coach from 2014 to 2017 and led the team to two playoff appearances in four seasons. He also led the Colts to a Super Bowl appearance in 2009, but they lost to the Saints. He had two winning seasons in three years with the Colts but was fired after going 2-14 in 2011 when Peyton Manning missed the entire season after undergoing neck surgery.
There's a chance Bevell could get a courtesy interview from Khan and general manager Trent Baalke, who is expected to assist in the search.
It is the second consecutive year Bevell is closing out a season as an interim coach. He served as the Detroit Lions interim head coach last season for the final five games of the 2020 season after Matt Patricia was fired, going 1-4.
Bevell, 51, has never been a full-time NFL head coach, but served as the Minnesota Vikings' offensive coordinator (2006-11) before moving on to the Seattle Seahawks and serving in the same capacity (2011-17). He was the Lions' offensive coordinator (2019-20).
Before his promotion as interim coach, the Jaguars offense struggled under his play-calling. He didn't get running back James Robinson involved enough and quarterback Trevor Lawrence struggled to connect on downfield throws and touchdown passes. Going into Sunday's game at New England, Lawrence has thrown only one touchdown pass in the last eight games.
The Jaguars wide-ranging list of candidates they have requested to interview include Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
The Jaguars also made a request to interview Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, but he reportedly was not interested in the job enough to agree to an interview.
Like Pederson and Caldwell, Bowles is a former head coach. Bowles went 24-40 as the New York Jets head coach from 2015-18. Bowles' best season occurred during his first season in New York when he led the Jets to a 10-6 record and second-place finish in the AFC East. During his final three seasons with the franchise, the Jets did not finish higher than fourth in the division.
While the Jaguars coaching search is drawing most of the attention at this point with two games left in the regular season, quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he has heard things involving the search but he's tried not to dive too deeply in it, especially with a difficult ahead on Sunday against the New England Patriots.
''That's not my focus,'' Lawrence said about the search. ''You know, I need to just work on trying to win these last two games and it's going to take everything we got. We got two really good teams coming up in the next two weeks (Colts on Jan. 9 in the finale).''
Jags' COVID-19 list extends to 25 players, five more added Wednesday
The Jaguars placed starting offensive tackle Cam Robinson, starting nickel corner Rudy Ford, wide receiver Josh Hammond, kick return specialist Jaydon Mickens and linebacker Dylan Moses on the COVID-19 list Wednesday. The Jaguars have 25 players on the virus list that includes players on the active roster, practice squad and on injured reserve. Also, the Jaguars announced Wednesday they signed linebacker Tyrell Adams from the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars' Darrell Bevell wants permanent head coach job for team
