JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The Jaguars split from coach Doug Marrone on Monday after the worst season in the franchise’s history.
“I am committed and determined to deliver winning football to the city of Jacksonville,” said team owner Shad Khan in a statement. “Achieving that goal requires a fresh start in all of our football operations, and with that in mind, I spoke this morning with Doug Marrone to express my gratitude for his hard work over the past four seasons as a coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.”
Marrone has another year on the contract and will be paid until the 2021 season. The team sacked general manager Dave Caldwell on November 29, and both openings are expected to be in high demand because the Jaguars hold No. 1 overall choice in the 2021 draft of the NFL and has four choices in the first two rounds and seven in the first four.
Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis at the end of the season was Jaguars ’15th consecutive year, two worse than the previous franchise record set in the 2012 and 2013 seasons. It was also Jaguars’ 21st loss in their last 24 games, since a win of Week 8 on the New York Jets in the 2019 season. Fifteen of those losses were double digits.
Marrone has a 25-44 record in four seasons with Jaguars, which includes a 12-36 mark since beating AFC Sul with a 10-6 record in 2017 and making an appearance in the game for the AFC title. This was the title of the first division of the franchise since 1999 and the first appearance in the playoffs since 2007.
Three seasons later, they are one of the worst teams in the league. Entering the final against the Colts, the Jaguars had already given up the franchise’s record of 464 points and ranked 27th or worse in the NFL in the four main defensive statistical categories (yards per game, running, passing and scoring). Offensively, the Jaguars ranked 27th or worse in yards per game, running and scoring and ranking 20th in passes, which is largely a product of falling behind in games and having to leave the race.
The Jaguars defeated Indianapolis at the opening of the season and then lost a game played to Tennessee in Nashville, where they struggled to keep games played over the past six seasons, to create some optimism that the team would be competitive and better than many thought.
Miami, Cincinnati and Houston won their first wins of the season against the Jaguars. Per Elias, this makes Jaguars the first team in NFL history to lose three consecutive games to non-winning teams (excluding the season opener).
Marrone was appointed Jaguars interim coach on December 18, 2016, after owner Shad Khan fired Gus Bradley, who has compiled a 14-48 record in almost four seasons. Marrone, who has been the Jaguars’ assistant coach / offensive line coach since 2015, became the head coach less than a month later.
Marrone served as Buffalo Bills coach in 2013 and 2014, ranging from 15 to 17 – including Buffalo’s first 10-year winning streak in 2014 (9 to 7) – before canceling his contract after a change of ownership. He was hired as a Jaguars offensive lineman and assistant coach for the attack before the 2015 season.
The Jaguars now join the Jets, Lions, Falcons and Texans as current teams with head coach positions.