And then there were two.
One of two teams to win an NFL-low two games during the regular season, the Jaguars found themselves as one of two teams without a head coach Wednesday after Chicago and Philadelphia made their hires.
Arizona entered Day 17 of its search by interviewing Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell.
The Jaguars, whose new general manager, Dave Caldwell, is in Day 7 of his process, were scheduled to interview Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who flew from Philadelphia to Jacksonville on Wednesday morning.
The Bears and Eagles made moves that were unconventional and surprising.
Early in the morning, Chicago ? which interviewed 12 known candidates ? decided on Marc Trestman, 57. Most recently a two-time Grey Cup-winning coach for the Montreal Alouettes, Trestman has experience as an assistant with eight NFL teams.
Among the finalists for the Chicago job was Bevell, who has not scheduled an interview with the Jaguars and spoke with Arizona on Wednesday.
Bradley, meanwhile, flew to Jacksonville as one of the favorites to be the Eagles? new coach. But by noon, word surfaced that Oregon coach Chip Kelly, who had dropped out last week, had reconsidered and was hired by Philadelphia.
?He has a brilliant football mind,? Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement. ?He motivates his team with his actions as well as his words. He will be a great leader for us and will bring a fresh, energetic approach to our team.?
The Bears and Eagles went against the grain with bold, out-of-the-box hires ? Chicago hopes Trestman can fix the offensive line problems and maximize quarterback Jay Cutler?s ability and Philadelphia hopes Kelly?s fast-break offense can be functional in the NFC East.
The Jaguars, by contrast, have been ultra-conservative in their search, selecting only coordinators who have never been head coaches at any level.
Things aren?t likely to crystallize until San Francisco?s season ends and Caldwell can interview offensive coordinator Greg Roman, as much of the league expects to happen.
The timing isn?t ideal, but it isn?t unprecedented, either.
Eight years ago, Cleveland waited to hire New England defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel and eventually made the decision on Feb. 23, 2005.
Three years later, Washington had to wait until after the New York Giants? surprising Super Bowl run to interview defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. He removed his name from consideration several days later and Jim Zorn wasn?t hired until Feb. 11, 2008.
If anything, what Caldwell is doing for the Jaguars is forming Plans B and C and maybe even D in case Roman is his first choice and doesn?t work out.
As the search continues, the Jaguars? coaching staff has another opening after offensive line coach Andy Heck was hired by Kansas City to the same position.
Heck, under contract with the Jaguars for 2013, needed Caldwell?s permission to accept Andy Reid?s offer to join the Chiefs. Heck was on the Jaguars? staff for nine years, including seven as the line coach.
Speculation swirled that Heck?s job was in jeopardy after the Jaguars allowed 50 sacks in 2012 (third-most in the NFL) and injuries and performance issues resulted in six different starting combinations.
Heck joins tight ends coach Bobby Johnson (hired by Detroit on Monday) as staff departures.
Jaguars assistant coaches are free to pursue other opportunities but can be blocked from leaving by Caldwell. The fact that two offensive assistants have been allowed to leave is telling ? a head coach with an offensive background will want to build his own staff. Last year, Mike Mularkey retained only one offensive assistant (Heck) and three defensive assistants.
Ryan O?Halloran: (904) 359-4401
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