Former college coach Urban Meyer formally interviewed Jaguars owner Shad Khan on Friday, league sources said, and continues to be seen everywhere as the favorite for that job, if he wants to.
Meyer, who has been talking to associates and former assistants while pondering the composition of a potential NFL team, also informed others that he has a great chance of training the Chargers, league sources said, although the veracity of that sentiment is being contested. . League sources indicated that it would be highly unlikely that the Spanos family would yield the kind of control and structure that Meyer would require; he has ties to owner Dean Spanos, however, has been with the team for the past few years and attended some games as a team guest at his former stadium in Carson, California.
Meyer has been in contact with Khan for weeks, the sources said, and Jacksonville’s interest in him was first reported here in Week 16. His interest is significant and many who know Meyer well admit that the process would not have reached this point if there were not, there have already been significant advances. There is a strong feeling in the coaching and GM community that this union is an eventuality if Meyer decides he is healthy enough and ready to train again, with Khan not paling with the inevitable financial commitment and power structure that hiring a coach as this will require.
Jaguars sources warn that this is just one of numerous interviews that Khan is conducting and that the process continues in its early stages, with former coach Doug Marrone being released from office on Monday. Meyer left Florida and again Ohio for health reasons and has been a college football analyst at Fox in recent years. He has a special fascination in the Jacksonville area due to his success with Florida’s Tim Tebow and Jacksonville product, which won a national championship and the Heisman Trophy there.
If Meyer accepted the position in Jacksonville, league sources pointed out former Browns general manager Ray Farmer as a possibility to serve as general manager, while Meyer is also a great advocate for Ohio State athletics director, players, Mark Pantoni, who received high praise for his recruitment evaluations and who also worked for Meyer in Florida.