General Manager Dave Caldwell got an extra two year’s worth of contract out of the series of moves the Jaguars made yesterday.
He also has less to do now, or at least less authority on paper.
In naming 70-year-old Tom Coughlin the executive vice president of football operations, the Jaguars gave the franchise’s original coach the final say over the 53-man roster, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
That’s a reasonable expectation, considering the Jaguars went out and acquired Coughlin again so the credibility from his two Super Bowl wins as a coach might filter into an organization which clearly needs it. But it could also make for a potentially awkward transition to a new organizational chart, as Caldwell’s already four years into a job having had say over the roster.
Of course, if owner Shad Khan were truly displeased with Caldwell (after a 15-49 record in those four seasons), he’d have fired him along with coach Gus Bradley instead of letting him run the coaching search which led to interim Doug Marrone being promoted. In the release announcing yesterday’s moves, Khan hailed Caldwell’s “excellent work” in building a “talented and promising roster.”
And because Coughlin has no experience as a day-to-day executive, Caldwell should still have plenty of opportunity to shape that roster. He just won’t have the final authority over it anymore, after it was given to someone with about three decades more experience.
