Surprise! Jaguars hire Doug Marrone as coach, land Tom Coughlin as exec

The Jacksonville Jaguars became the first of the six teams with head-coaching vacancies to be filled, and they pulled a surprise, hiring Doug Marrone to replace the recently fired Gus Bradley.

Via the Jaguars’ official Twitter account:

Although there was a contradictory report about the job not being offered to Marrone, it appears to be a fait accompli.

And there’s more: Tom Coughlin, the first coach in Jaguars history, interviewed for the job Marrone got, but the Jaguars will be hiring him to a higher-up position instead, which Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson previously reported could happen back on Dec. 20.

Marrone served as interim head coach down the stretch for the Jaguars and previously was the head coach for the Buffalo Bills from 2013 to 2014. With the Bills, Marrone compiled a record of 15-17, including a 9-7 mark in 2014 (with E.J. Manuel and Kyle Orton at QB) that represented the team’s most wins since 2004. He left after the season amid an awkward contract situation, the details of which remain murky, and joined the Jaguars as assistant head coach-offense/offensive line coach in 2015.

After replacing Bradley, the Jaguars went 1-1 and played more competitively than they had through what would end up a 3-13 season. You’d have to think part of Marrone being hired — over the more highly speculated choices such as Coughlin and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith — was that he convinced general manager Dave Caldwell and team owner Shad Khan that he can help turn around quarterback Blake Bortles after a poor third season in the NFL.

The Jaguars also reportedly spoke with Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels for the job Marrone won.

Marrone’s background is on offense. He was the Saints’ offensive coordinator from 2006 to 2008, and he later helped revive a once-dormant Syracuse program as head coach from 2009 to 2012. He also played in the NFL as an offensive lineman, having been drafted in the sixth round by the Los Angeles Raiders in 1986 and appearing in five games total with the Saints and Miami Dolphins over the 1987 and 1989 seasons before embarking in coaching.

It will be interesting to see what Coughlin’s role is after spending a year in the league offices. He has a terrific overall record as coach of the Jaguars and New York Giants, where he won two Super Bowls. Caldwell appears safe for now, but will Coughlin — who is said not to be a huge fan of Bortles — have a major say on personnel?

Although hiring Marrone isn’t the most earth-shattering news of all time, the intrigue lies with adding Coughlin to the mix. The Jaguars had an eventful and interesting Monday.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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