JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jaguars made a major move on Wednesday night, firing executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin.
Jacksonville has struggled on the field this season, dropping to 5-9 despite an offseason in which it spent $88 million to sign Nick Foles as a franchise quarterback.
Owner Shad Khan released a statement: “Within the past hour I informed Tom Coughlin that he was being relieved of his duties as Executive Vice President of Football Operations of the Jacksonville Jaguars, effective this evening. I determined earlier this fall that making this move at the conclusion of the 2019 season would be in everyone’s best interests but, in recent days, I reconsidered and decided to make this change immediately. I thank Tom for his efforts, not only over the past three years but for all he did from our very first season, 25 years ago, to put the Jacksonville Jaguars on the map. General Manager Dave Caldwell and Head Coach Doug Marrone will each report directly to me on an interim basis. My expectations, and those of our fans, for our final two games and the 2020 season are high.”
The final straw likely came Monday when the NFL Player’s Association released a scathing statement after an arbitrator ruled that the Jaguars could not fine players for not going to receive medical treatment at team facilities during the offseason. The team fined former defensive end Dante Fowler more than $700,000 for issues related to that.