BREAKING: Once Interested in Washington, Urban Meyer Fired by Jaguars

Richie Whitt

Dec 16, 2021

Partner

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Richie Whitt

Dec 16, 2021

Partner

Owner Shad Khan fired his coach while attending NFL owners meetings in Dallas

Urban Meyer's turbulent career in the NFL lasted only 13 games and two victories as the Jacksonville Jaguars fired him as head coach late Wednesday night.

The Jaguars are 2-11 this season, tied with the Houston Texans for the second-worst record in the NFL behind only the 1-11-1 Detroit Lions. The Jags, who lost to the Texans in the season opener Sept. 12 in Houston, host Houston in the rematch Sunday that could ultimately determine which team gets the No. 2 pick in next April's 2022 NFL Draft.

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as Jacksonville's interim coach the remainder of the 2021 season.

Meyer's name was connected to the Washington Football Team near the end of the 2019 season when it was clear Bill Callahan was on the hot seat. Meyer attended a December game and was seated alongside WFT quarterback Alex Smith, who was one of his players at Utah. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin said Meyer was in attendance to watch him and former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Meyer’s tenure with the Jaguars was a rocky one from start to finish with the number of off-field headlines about the coach's decisions and conduct far exceeding the team’s number of wins. His firing comes hours after a story from former Jaguars' kicker Josh Lambo said Meyer kicked him in a practice in August.

Said Jaguars owner Shad Khan in a statement:

Darrell Bevell will serve as interim head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for the balance of the 2021 season. Darrell succeeds Urban Meyer. After deliberation over many weeks and a thorough analysis of the entirety of Urban's tenure with our team, I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone. I informed Urban of the change this evening. As I stated in October, regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen. Trent Baalke continues as our general manager and will work with Darrell to ensure that our team will be inspired and competitive while representing Jacksonville proudly over our final four games of the season. In the spirit of closure and recharging our players, staff and fan base, I will not comment further until some point following the conclusion of the NFL season.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said Wednesday, prior to the Lambo story being released, that the drama around the team had to change.

Now, it has.