The sudden withdrawal this past Saturday of Phil Savage as the lead candidate for the Jaguars' top personnel job has left the team in a "contemplative" position about the job vacancy.
"I don't think there's a deadline. Sooner is better, but you have to make sure you do the right thing. It needs to be the right person," Jaguars Director of Football Operations Paul Vance told jaguars.com today. "I think it's a contemplative period. We may have the candidate. We're thinking about it," Vance added.
Savage was one of four candidates who interviewed for the personnel job. The other three are: Buffalo Assistant General Manager Tom Modrak, Baltimore Pro Personnel Director James Harris, and Rick Reiprish, who had been the Jaguars' director of player personnel until this past Friday, when team owner Wayne Weaver informed Reiprish his services were no longer required.
Weaver had decided Reiprish was no longer a candidate and wanted to give Reiprish the opportunity to begin his search for a new job. Seattle President Bob Whitsitt had expressed to Weaver interest in Reiprish.
"I would say they are both candidates," Vance said of Modrak and Harris. Vance also said "it's possible" the Jaguars could search for additional candidates.
Weaver addressed the media Saturday morning about the specific structure of his front office hierarchy. Within that structure, new head coach Jack Del Rio, the new personnel boss, Vance and Weaver would work toward agreement on all personnel matters, including the draft, free agency and the salary cap. Weaver will refrain from giving one man ultimate authority.
"The benefit of having interviewed a lot of people has allowed this vision to develop in his mind," Vance said of Weaver's structuring plan. "The Savage thing was part of that evaluating process."
Savage withdrew his name from candidacy Saturday afternoon when he and Weaver were unable to reach a contractual agreement about the job.
"We're stepping back and looking at the interviews we've done and how they and the people we interviewed fit in that process," Vance said.
