Former university coach Urban Meyer on Friday formally interviewed Jaguars owner Shad Khan, said league sources, and is still widely regarded as the frontrunner for the job if he wants it.
Meyer, who spoke with associates and former assistants while considering the composition of a potential NFL staff, also told others that he has a strong possibility of coaching the Chargers, league sources said, although the truth of the sentiment is disputed. . League sources indicated that it would be highly unlikely that the Spanos family would relinquish the kind of control and structure that Meyer would claim; however, he has ties to Dean Spanos, and he has been on the team for the past few years and has attended several games as a guest of the team at their old venue in Carson, California.
Meyer has been in contact with Khan for weeks, sources said, and Jacksonville’s interest in him was first reported here in Week 16. Their interest is significant and many people who know Meyer well admit that the process would not have reached this point if significant progress had already been made. There is a strong sentiment in the coaching and GM community that this connection is a possibility should Meyer decide that he is healthy enough and ready to coach again, while Khan does not have the inevitable financial commitment and power structure that the appointment of a coach like this will not require. .
Jaguars warn that this is just one of the many interviews Khan is conducting and that the process is in the early stages, with former coach Doug Marrone being relieved of his duties only on Monday. Meyer walked away from Florida and again from the state of Ohio for health reasons and has been a college football analyst for Fox in recent years. He has a special appeal in the Jacksonville area, given his success with the Tennessee product of Florida and Jacksonville, which won a national championship and Heisman Trophy there.
If Meyer were to accept the position in Jacksonville, league sources pointed to Browns former manager Ray Farmer as a possibility to serve in a general manager role, while Meyer is also a big supporter of the assistant athletic director of the State of Ohio, Player Staff, Mark. Pantoni, who received numerous accolades for his recruiting evaluations and who also worked for Meyer in Florida.