While the Jacksonville Jaguars dial it up against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, rival executives are eyeing the man calling the plays.
The Jaguars’ 30-year-old play-caller has turned this offense into a wagon, and his name is getting hot fast on the head-coaching radar. If the Jets or anyone else looking for a new head coach needed an excuse to start vetting him, tonight’s prime-time game is basically his audition tape.
Michael Nania of Jets X Factor names Udinski as one of the top coaching candidates for the Jets HC role since Aaron Glenn’s days in New York seem numbered.
Jaguars OC Named Top Jets Coaching Candidate
“One of the names quickly gaining steam in Jetsland is Grant Udinski, who has served as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator in Jacksonville under head coach Liam Coen over the last two years,” Nania writes.
“Despite being only 30 years old with no play-calling experience at any level, Udinski already interviewed for the Cleveland Browns’ head coaching vacancy earlier this year, even earning a second interview. The job ultimately went to Todd Monken, but getting that far in the process for a head coaching position is a huge deal for a coach at such an early stage of his career.”
And it’s easy to see why front offices are falling in love with his background.
Before landing with the Jaguars, he served as Kevin O’Connell’s right-hand man in Minnesota, acting as the key link in the Vikings’ QB room and directly aiding Sam Darnold’s massive career resurgence.
His lightning-fast rise through the ranks isn’t off luck, either. He’s earned a reputation as a coach who once literally lived out of his car in a Walmart parking lot just to keep a graduate assistant gig at Baylor alive.
Cleveland saw that raw grit paired with his modern offensive schemes, and identified the talent. That’s why they even tried to snatch him from the Jaguars after just one year. He went on to the second round of that NFL head coaching job interview, making him one of the youngest coordinators to ever reach there.
Should the Jets Take a Risk?
“It’s always a risk to hire a head coach who has never called plays, but there is so much more that goes into head coaching than just play-calling, and Udinski appears to check all of those boxes,” Nania writes.
“He’s tuned in with the modern game, has ascended rapidly throughout the league, has been handpicked by two of the league’s most respected offensive head coaches, and clearly has a highly respected “football guy” reputation amongst his players; he’s not just an “offensive nerd” who cannot command respect from a locker room.”
“Udinski could be the Jets’ top target if they look for a new head coach in 2027. His resume could hardly do more to alleviate the risk of hiring a head coach who has never called plays.”
Whether the Jets actually make a run at him remains to be seen, but the setup is obvious. The Jets need someone who can fix their quarterback problem and build a real offense. And taking a shot on a sharp, young coordinator who’s already survived two head-coaching interviews is the exact kind of gamble worth taking.
If Jacksonville lights up the scoreboard again tonight, expect those rumors in New York to start getting real loud, real fast.
Jaguars 30-Year-Old OC Named Top Candidate for Jets Head Coaching Job