Update from Tues., Dec. 29, 2019: The Jaguars have refuted the report and announced that Doug Marrone will return in 2020.
Jacksonville #Jaguars announce HC Doug Marrone and GM Dave Caldwell will return in 2020. The Executive Vice President of Football Operations position, which previously belonged to Tom Coughlin, will not be filled.
— Prime Time Sports Talk (@TalkPrimeTime) December 31, 2019
The 2019 NFL season isn’t over and we’ve already seen four major firings. The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to part ways with head coach Doug Marrone following the team’s regular season finale against the Colts on Sunday, according to a report from Dianna Russini of ESPN.
Jacksonville head coach Doug Marrone has been informed that he will be dismissed following Sunday’s game vs. Colts, per sources. Jaguars will begin a search for a new head coach.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) December 28, 2019
Marrone is the third head coach to be fired this year, joining former Redskins head coach, Jay Gruden, and former Panthers head coach, Ron Rivera. The fourth major firing was that of Jacksonville’s Executive Vice President, Tom Coughlin, who was given the boot following claims that he unfairly fined players for actions not worthy of such discipline.
Marrone, 55, made his head coaching debut with the Bills in 2013 and spent two seasons with them, going 15-17 and losing his status as a head coach. He re-gained such a status with the Jaguars in 2016 as interim head coach and secured the role for 2017 when the team made it to the AFC Championship but lost to the Patriots. As it stands, that was Marrone’s only playoff experience as a head coach. He finishes his stint with Jacksonville at 21-28 and holds a career 36-45 record.
While Marrone isn’t an awful head coach, it was clear he wasn’t the answer on a Jaguars team with respectable talent. Marrone likely won’t find a role as a head coach next season, but rather could look to find a top job in college or perhaps an offensive coordinator or assistant head coaching role in the NFL for next season.
