The Jacksonville Jaguars’ season ended in heartbreak at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round. Despite the Bills’ victory, their season did not fare much better either as they lost in the following round. While the Jaguars were eliminated before Buffalo, the Bills were less patient with their team as they fired head coach Sean McDermott despite making the postseason in seven consecutive seasons.
That result did not seem to affect the Jaguars until the Bills unveiled the candidates for their head coaching vacancy. Grant Udinski, the 30-year-old Jaguars’ offensive coordinator, became a popular candidate to replace McDermott despite his lack of experience. Udinski was also a popular candidate for the Browns’ head coaching vacancy, but he removed himself from consideration as the Jaguars gave him a pay raise while also allowing him to explore the Bills vacancy.
Grant Udinski Staying With the Jacksonville Jaguars
Now, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has revealed that the Buffalo Bills are in agreement with offensive coordinator Joe Brady for him to become their new head coach. As a result, the Jaguars will retain offensive coordinator Grant Udinski for the 2026 season. Some Bills fans were disappointed they did not hire Udinski, as they had begun expecting the hire. One fan posted on X, “The more I look into and see things the more I love the idea of Grant Udinski as the Bills’ next coach. He looks like the next bright offensive mind to be developed by the McVay tree.”
He is not the first to make the comparison of Udinski and McVay. The Draft Network’s JP Connell wrote about the upside in hiring Udinski saying, “If it works, you have your guy for 15-20 years. You’re betting on a rising asset, not a retread. McVay was 30 when the Rams hired him. The league has proven young offensive minds can win immediately with the right situation. He spent three years under Kevin O’Connell, one of the best offensive minds in football. O’Connell resurrected Kirk Cousins, turned Sam Darnold into a Pro Bowler, and runs the most QB-friendly system in the league. Udinski was in that room every day learning how to build an offense around your quarterback’s strengths.”
Jaguars fans saw first-hand the positive impact Udinski can make on a quarterback, as Trevor Lawrence had the highest QBR of his career in the 2025 season.
Liam Coen’s Thoughts on Udinski
Udinski being well-regarded around the league is nothing new. He became the offensive coordinator for the Jaguars, despite being 29 years old at the time and not having a prior relationship with head coach Liam Coen. When asked about Udinski after his hire, Coen said, “He’s an elite communicator. Grant is all ball, no ego… wants to live as close to the building as he can.”
The Jaguars rewarding him with a pay raise shows how valuable he is to the Jacksonville coaching staff. After 13 wins in the 2025 season, retaining one of their integral offensive minds is nothing short of great news for the Jaguars.
Jaguars Get Great News After the Season