Report: Panthers, Jaguars to bring back head coaches in 2019
It’s been a rugged year for several of last season’s playoff teams. But at least two are hanging onto their head coaches for 2019, preferring stability over sudden change, according to an NFL Network report.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to bring back Doug Marrone, and the Carolina Panthers are expected to do the same with Ron Rivera, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Neither team will make the playoffs after reaching the postseason last season, but in both cases, team ownership is giving the coaches a chance to right the ship on their own.
The Jaguars were one quarter away from reaching the Super Bowl last season, and began this year 3-1, apparently ready to carry through on that promise. It didn’t work out that way; the Jags have gone 1-9 ever since, and are in a total tailspin. But team owner Shad Khan recognizes that injuries have hurt the team — and that quarterback Blake Bortles isn’t the answer — and thus Marrone will be back again next year.
Carolina has similar extenuating circumstances. The team hasn’t won since the first week of November, losing its last six games heading into Sunday, but much of that falls on Cam Newton’s injured shoulder. A reworking of the coordinator ranks, rest for Newton, and the Panthers should be in better shape, at least according to the beliefs of new team owner David Tepper.
With both coaches, particularly Rivera, there’s the consistent question of whether any potential free-agent coach would be a better fit than who’s already in place. Clearly, ownership of both teams have decided that staying the course works best for now.
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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.
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