The Jacksonville Jaguars and Urban Meyer are in advanced talks to see if they can make a deal this week, sources in the league told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
After another meeting with the Jaguars on Wednesday, Meyer is very interested in the possibility of coaching in the NFL, sources said.
There has been regular communication and interaction between the two sides, sources said, and Meyer has assembled a technical staff, including some college grade assistants, in case he decides to take the Jaguars job.
Meyer won three national championships and set a 187-32 college coaching record during stints in Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and the state of Ohio. He won two of those titles (2006, 2008) with the Gators, leading them to a record of 65-15 in six seasons. He also led the Buckeyes to the 2014 national title, holding a record of 83-9 in seven seasons in Columbus.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan fired Doug Marrone on January 4 after Jacksonville ended its worst season in franchise history (1-15). Marrone had a record of 25-44 (including playoffs) in four seasons with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars gave up a franchise record of 492 points and became the fifth team since the NFL expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978 to allow at least 20 points in each game, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Offensively, the Jaguars were in 28th place or worse in yards per game, rushing and scoring. They came in 21st place in passing, largely due to a big backlog in games and having to give up the series.
This report uses information from ESPN’s Michael DiRocco.