Jaguars Coaching Search Nuggets: Ben Johnson, Kliff Kingsbury, Trent Baalke

Tony Pauline reports the Jaguars are believed to be all-in on landing Lions OC Ben Johnson as their next head coach. 

Johnson is one of the top candidates available this year and has been in demand for multiple years, giving him plenty of leverage to select his landing spot. It is not a given he agrees to leave Detroit for Jacksonville, although he is among the eight coaches the Jaguars announced interview requests for. 

Pauline reports another candidate sources are telling him to monitor for Jacksonville is Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury. However, Kingsbury has not been requested for an interview so far and reports have indicated he’s also not in a rush to leap at the next head coaching opportunity that comes his way. 

Kingsbury is still making money from the Cardinals’ buyout of his coaching contract when he was fired, which Pauline notes is believed to be $6 million a year through 2027. 

The presence of Jaguars GM Trent Baalke, who was not fired alongside former HC Doug Pederson, is expected to cause issues for Jacksonville in their head coaching search just like it did in 2022 given Baalke’s reputation around the league. 

However, Pauline says Baalke may soon transition into a senior or consulting role with the organization after he guides owner Shad Khan through another coaching search and potentially a search for another executive to add to the front office. 

Johnson, 38, started his coaching career with Boston College in 2009 as a graduate assistant. From there, Johnson coached tight ends for the 2011 season.

The Dolphins hired Johnson in 2012 as an offensive assistant and he was later promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach in 2013.

Johnson coached tight ends and wide receivers with the Dolphins until 2019 before the Lions hired him as a quality control coach. He coached tight ends for the Lions in 2020 and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022. 

In 2024, the Lions offense ranked No. 1 in yards per game and No. 1 in points per game, including No. 2 in passing yards per game and No. 6 in rushing yards per game. 

Kingsbury, 45, was hired as the Texas Tech head coach back in 2013 and spent six years in the position before he was fired. USC hired him as their offensive coordinator but he resigned from the job after just a month after receiving interest from the NFL. He was subsequently hired by the Cardinals. 

After four seasons in Arizona, Kingsbury was let go and returned to USC as the QB coach. He then was hired by the Commanders as their offensive coordinator in 2024.

During his six seasons at Texas Tech, Kingsbury led them to a record of 35-40 (46.7 percent), which included three bowl game appearances.

For his NFL head coaching career, Kingsbury led the Cardinals to an overall record of 26-33-1 in four seasons with one playoff appearance.

Baalke, 60, began working for the Jets as a personnel scout in 1998 before joining Washington in 2001. After four years in Washington, Baalke was hired as the 49ers’ Western region scout and worked his way up to general manager. 

Baalke was named Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association back in 2011 after the team won 13 games. He spent six years in the position but was fired in 2017 after another disappointing season.

The Jaguars hired Baalke in 2020 as their director of pro personnel and eventually promoted him to GM going into 2021.  

During his tenure with the 49ers, the team produced a record of 57-31-1, which includes three playoff appearances and a conference title in 2012. In Jacksonville, Baalke has a record of 25-43 with one playoff appearance. 

We’ll have more on the Jaguars as the news is available.