NFL Coaching Rumors: Jacksonville, Smith, Mayo

The way the season is going in Jacksonville, it’s looking more and more likely that the Jaguars are going to have some new leadership in 2025. The consensus in league circles is that the team is highly likely to move on from head coach Doug Pederson. The question that seems to be trending lately for Jacksonville is whether or not general manager Trent Baalke will be soon to follow.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there has been increased speculation on whether or not Baalke will be sticking around to choose Pederson’s replacement, should he be fired as expected. Having already been eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-10 record while, at this point, competing for a top draft slot, it seems like a foregone conclusion that Pederson is out, but with Baalke, it’s not as sure a thing.

In an appearance on Herd with Colin Cowherd, FOX Sports’s Jordan Schultz claimed he doesn’t believe Baalke gets fired because he’s entrenched himself with team owner Shahid Khan and chief football strategy office Tony Khan.

Here are a few other rumors from coaching circles in the NFL:

• Arthur Smith‘s recent success jump-starting the career of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has put him back in the head coaching spotlight. The Steelers offensive coordinator may have to wait a little longer, though. Per Graziano, Smith is more likely to find his way back to head coaching races after the 2025 season than in the upcoming offseason.
• Like the Jags, the Patriots are another team already eliminated from the post season and in the running for a top draft slot. That doesn’t appear to mean the same thing for New England’s head coach, though, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Jerod Mayo is only in his first year as the Patriots head coach and as an NFL head coach in general. Team owner Robert Kraft was part of the decision to set Mayo up for a coach-in-waiting situation, so it’s hard to imagine that he’s lost the vision on that front this early.