Jacksonville Jaguars ‘Close’ To Hiring Byron Leftwich As Head Coach

The Jacksonville Jaguars want their next head coach to complement No. 1 overall draft pick and potential franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence, meaning Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich may be their strongest suitor for the vacancy.

Reports Wednesday evening indicated that the Jags may be one step closer toward naming Leftwich as their next HC after expressing their interest in Arizona Cardinals executive and former safety Adrian Wilson to replace current GM Trent Baalke. The move was reportedly a bullet point on Leftwich's agenda for the position.

Two names finally came off the head coaching free agency market after the Denver Broncos hired former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator and the Chicago Bears added Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

As noted by USA Today, Hackett was likely to join the Jaguars for a second head coaching interview, which now adds pressure on Jags owner Shad Khan to make a decision before getting intercepted again.

The New Orleans Saints are expected to interview Leftwich this week after longtime coach Sean Payton announced his retirement.

Leftwich, 42, was the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, selected by Jacksonville. He started 44 games (2003-06) at quarterback for the Jaguars and held minor stints with teams until retiring until 2012.

He joined the Arizona Cardinals for a coaching position in 2016 and worked his way up to offensive coordinator in 2018.

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians previously stated that his return to coaching was contingent on Tampa Bay adding Leftwich as OC to scheme Tom Brady's playbook.

This season, the Buccaneers led the second-best overall offense in the NFL, with Brady tossing a League-high 43 touchdowns.

Check out Dan Dakich's interview with former Jags coach Urban Meyer.

Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela