The Jacksonville Jaguars could take another step toward securing general election no. 1 in the 2021 NFL draft, with a loss on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, and the general manager and potential candidates for head coach pay special attention, sources from the ESPN league said.
Since the New York Jets’ upset win over the Los Angeles Rams last weekend catapulted the Jaguars into the No. 1 slot, Jacksonville’s GM and head coach jobs have become much more appealing to candidates who have talked about what the opportunity is to work with top project manager Trevor Lawrence.
The Jaguars would have an advantage over any other team that hires a general manager or head coach if they land selection no. 1, which – combined with the stock of selection projects in 2021 – would make those jobs as attractive as any potential openings in the League.
The Jaguars are scheduled to have 11 picks in the project next April, including additional picks purchased in trades involving Jalen Ramsey, Yannick Ngakoue and Ronnie Harrison. The Jaguars will also have nearly $ 100 million in salary cap space, too, at a time when many other teams will have to reduce players to fall below the lower limit.
The Jaguars (1-13) hold the tiebreaker with the Jets (1-13) for the top choice depending on the strength of the program. Jacksonville could win the No. 1 pick as early as Sunday, with a loss to Chicago and if the Jets take another upset against the Cleveland Browns. According to ESPN’s football strength index, the Jaguars have a 74.2% chance of landing the first choice, airplanes at 25.6% and Bengals at 0.2%.
The Jaguars have been looking for a new GM since they fired Dave Caldwell last month. Former Texan manager Rick Smith and ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Louis Riddick both interviewed Jacksonville last week.
Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone, who has one season left on his contract after this year, said last week that Jacksonville will try to win the last two games – even if it means missing the opportunity to score Lawrence. Jacksonville has 12-34 under Marrone since the beginning of the 2018 season.
The Jaguars have lost 13 straight games, breaking a franchise record, and yet there is a real movement in the city for them to extend the lost skid and pull Lawrence, the Clemson star defender. Even Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry posted a couple of tweets on Sunday night, the second of which read, “It’s the season and Santa’s smiling at Jax today.”
ESPN’s Michael DiRocco contributed to this report.