After an impressive season in which the Jacksonville Jaguars won 13 games, the team was unable to get past the first round of the playoffs. Still, the season should be viewed as a success as their 13 wins marked the most in a season since 1999. The team achieved that feat despite having a first-year head coach in Liam Coen and two inexperienced coordinators.
The positive in the Jaguars’ inexperience was the ability to grow as a group together. Unfortunately for Jaguars fans,it seemed they were not going to be able to maintain that. Despite not being a play caller with the Jaguars, 30-year-old offensive coordinator Grant Udinski became a popular head coaching candidate during this year’s coaching cycle. He held interviews with several teams and became a finalist for the Bills’ head coaching job. Additionally, he was a candidate with the Browns, but Udinski removed himself from consideration.
Jacksonville Jaguars Announce Coaching Staff
Now, the Bills have announced Joe Brady as their new head coach. Meanwhile, Udinski has signed a new contract with the Jaguars to stay as their offensive coordinator. The move comes as a surprise, as Udinski had been seen around the league as the favorite to take the Buffalo job.
The positive news does not end there for the Jaguars. Defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile also received head coaching interviews, including a second interview with the Arizona Cardinals. The first-year defensive coordinator led the Jaguars to a top-10 scoring defense in 2025, marking an impressive turnaround as they were a bottom five unit in the 2024 season. Despite the interviews, the Jaguars announced that Campanile will also be returning for the 2026 season.
With both their coordinators in place, the Jaguars can now build on their 2025 season and look toward the next season. Regarding the approach after the season, head coach Liam Coen said, “I was extremely proud of a lot of things that we were able to accomplish. Very proud of their response to adversity. Now the real work is here, where we have to go and reload it. We’re not going to just stand here and say, ‘Man, we’re just going to redo it all with all the same I got us 13 wins.’”
Jaguars Offseason
The Jaguars’ coaching staff was the No. 1 question heading into the offseason. Fortunately for Jaguars fans, they got the best possible news. As Liam Coen said, now the real work is here. The team will have to evaluate their upcoming free agents. CBS Sports ranked the Top 50 players who are set to be free agents. The Jaguars had two: All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd came in at No. 15, while running back Travis Etienne came in at No. 23.
Regarding Lloyd, they wrote, “In new defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile’s scheme, he’s playing All-Pro caliber football. He is a Swiss Army knife in the Jaguars’ 2025 defense.” With the Jaguars retaining Campanile, he will likely want the team to re-sign his Swiss Army knife. On Etienne, they wrote, “Travis Etienne rebuilt his stock just in time to become a free agent. After hamstring and shoulder injuries derailed his 2024 season, he bounced back to start every game and ran for over 1,000 yards.” Uncertainty in the running back position for the Jaguars was a big talking point heading into the season, but after the Jaguars traded Tank Bigsby, Etienne took firm control of the job. If he does depart, 2025 rookie Bhayshul Tuten would be in line for a larger role in the upcoming season.
Jaguars Make Surprising Coaching Announcement