Urban Meyer is headed to the NFL. After several days of reports that the legendary college football coach was interested in making the jump to the pros, Adam Schefter of ESPN indicated on Thursday morning that the Jacksonville Jaguars — the team that has been linked with him the most — were slated to get a deal done with Meyer.
Jacksonville and former Ohio St. HC Urban Meyer are in advanced talks to see if they can finalize a deal, per league sources. They met again Wednesday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2021
At this time, it’s Jacksonville as the one and only for Urban Meyer. Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan’s process has led him to Meyer, and Meyer is highly interested, and the two sides are interested in trying to finalize a deal this week. https://t.co/gDpE46pyuG
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 14, 2021
Eventually, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports and Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that the two sides were finalizing a deal.
Sources: Urban Meyer is finalizing a deal to become the next coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. All signs point to a deal being done today.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 14, 2021
Former national-title winning coach Urban Meyer is working toward finalizing a deal to be the next coach with the #Jaguars, per me and @TomPelissero. The deal is expected to be done soon.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 14, 2021
Meyer is walking into a situation that needs turning around, although there are reasons for optimism. The Jags have the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and barring something totally shocking will use it to get a franchise quarterback in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. The team is also flush with cap space, about $75 million, and has a few pieces to potentially build around on its roster. For his head coaching career — which featured stops at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State — Meyer accrued a 187-32 record, with two national titles at the helm of the Gators and one as the coach of the Buckeyes.
Still, it’s a curious move for Meyer, who has retired twice due to the toll that rigors of coaching has taken on his health. He’s never been someone who takes losing particularly well, and while that has led to him being one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, it’s not easy to see a path through which the Jags suddenly become Super Bowl contenders from day one. It is also unclear how much power Meyer will have in things like personnel decisions and moves that generally determine the course of the franchise. Regardless, if there is one thing that is not a question, it is that Meyer is an excellent football coach, and it’s plausible that he is able to take the Jaguars and turn them into a contender in the AFC, even if it might take some time.
