Unbelievably, the Jaguars’ owner has announced the former head coach’s return.
Additionally, Todd Washington, the assistant offensive line coach, had his contract expire, and Pederson declined to extend it.
Following the greatest late-season collapse in franchise history, changes were made. In late November, the Jaguars were 8-3 and leading the AFC South. However, they lost five of their final six games and were eliminated from the playoffs.
Jacksonville lost 28-20 to Tennessee in what had turned into a win-and-in game to end the season. Derrick Henry ran for a season-high 153 yards in that game, and the other five losses in December and January were largely the result of poor defense.
In those defeats, Caldwell’s team gave up 29.2 points and 146.8 rushing yards per game.
Coaches of the defensive line, linebackers, safeties, kickers, senior defensive assistant Bob Sutton, cornerbacks, Deshea Townsend, and quality control assistants Sean Cullina and Tee Mitchell were also relieved of their duties.
Pederson chose not to make many offensive plays, seemingly attributing the majority of the problems to injuries sustained by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, and a shifting offensive line.
However, Parmalee’s position group struggled all season. Despite Travis Etienne being healthy for all 17 games, Jacksonville’s rushing attack was only 24th in the NFL. Etienne ran for 1,008 yards in the end and scored 11 touchdowns. Third-round draft selection Tank Bigsby, the backup, had a nondescript rookie season.
Jacksonville is designed to win right now, as Pederson made evident prior to the firings.
Pederson, who is 19–17 in his first two seasons in Jacksonville, stated, “You only get so many windows in this league.” And we believe that our window is now open with the staff we currently have and will continue to add. We must take full advantage of the opportunities we have.”
You feel like the season is kind of wasted now, so we just can’t have a collapse like we did this year, right? He continued. “We missed a fantastic chance to win the division, and you did. Thus, we must accept that as a fact of life, take responsibility for it, and draw lessons from it. However, I continue to believe that we have the best football left to play.
In the upcoming months, the Jaguars will have to make a number of decisions about their roster, such as whether to cut right guard Brandon Scherff and safety Rayshawn Jenkins to free up salary cap space and whether to retain receiver Calvin Ridley and pass rusher Josh Allen.
But the focus in the locker room was more on how to use the late-season collapse as a springboard going forward.
The tight end Evan Engram stated, “This has to become part of our story.” It is up to us to take action and make sure that it never occurs again because we are the team’s leaders, our team’s cornerstone, and the guys who will be returning.
Lawrence’s errors
Trevor Lawrence, the quarterback, finished the season with 21 turnovers (seven fumbles and 14 interceptions), one fewer than he had as a rookie. For the first overall pick in 2021, it appeared to be a step back.
Lawrence stated that his top priority during the offseason will be cutting those.
There is undoubtedly a focus, according to Lawrence. “A lot of factors go into that. However, I have to take responsibility for my actions and better look after the ball. We will have a higher chance of winning many of these games as a result.
The future of Ridley
Calvin Ridley narrowly missed a 33-yard touchdown reception at the end of his first, and possibly only, season in Jacksonville. In a 28-20 loss to the Titans, with two minutes remaining, the ball escaped Ridley’s grasp.
Following a nearly two-year absence, Ridley made his first full-season debut with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight touchdowns. Due to a gambling suspension, he missed all of 2022, and he also missed some of 2021 due to a foot injury and mental health concerns.
The pending free agent, Ridley, declared, “I’m going to be better for sure.” “I was feeling a lot better towards the end of the season. just being fully aware of and perceiving everything. I established a solid schedule. I discovered a nice area. I’m going to work from there and make an effort to fix everything I own.
If the Jaguars sign Allen to a contract before the new league season starts on March 5, then they may use the franchise tag on Ridley. They would undoubtedly tag Allen and allow Ridley to walk free if they were unable to come to an agreement.
“Many things need to be correct,” Ridley remarked. “It’s not my decision.”
Allen’s situation
Allen recorded a franchise-high 17.5 sacks. On a defense that finished 22nd in yards and 17th in points allowed, he was one of the few shining spots.
After completing the fifth year of his rookie contract, Allen might be able to negotiate a deal that is close to $100 million.
