JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –The Jacksonville Jaguars have extended the contracts of Executive Vice President of Football Operations Tom Coughlin, General Manager Dave Caldwell and Head Coach Doug Marrone through the 2021 season, team owner Shad Khan announced today. Prior to today's extensions, their previous contracts were set to expire following the 2019 season.
"The decision to extend the contracts of Tom, Dave and Doug isn't so much a reward for last season, which no doubt was impressive, as it is to recognize their importance to our football team this coming season and for years to follow," Khan said. "We're past celebrating the accomplishments of our division title and playoff run, and now it's time to take the next step. We need the right leadership firmly in place to make that happen, and it's good to know we'll have that with Tom, Dave and Doug secure in their roles with the Jacksonville Jaguars."
"The success we had last season was due to the efforts of many people, but Doug and Dave certainly played key leadership roles in guiding our team," Coughlin added. "They set the tone and managed the process on a daily basis, and we look forward to building on that process throughout this offseason and the coming season."
Marrone, who was officially hired as the fifth head coach in franchise history on Jan. 9, 2017 after serving as the interim head coach for the final two games of the 2016 season, finished his first campaign at the helm with a 10-6 regular season record and led the Jaguars to their first division title since the 1999 season. Marrone directed a seven-win improvement from the previous season (4-12 in 2016), which was tied with Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams for the largest jump by a first-year head coach in the NFL in 2017. The Jaguars finished the 2017 season with the top-ranked rushing offense (141.4 yards per game) and the league's best pass defense (169.0 passing yards allowed per game) en route to their first playoff berth since the 2007 season.
Under Marrone's tutelage, the Jaguars hosted a playoff game for the first time in 18 years, defeating the Buffalo Bills, 10-3, in an AFC Wild Card game. The team advanced to the AFC Championship for the first time since 1999 after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 45-42, in the AFC Divisional round. Marrone became the first Jaguars head coach to win multiple postseason games in a single year since Coughlin achieved the feat in 1996. The Jaguars were also the first team since the 2006 New Orleans Saints to advance to their conference championship game after finishing with three or fewer victories the previous season.
Caldwell, who has served as the general manager for the Jaguars since Jan. 8, 2013, was instrumental in constructing the roster for the 2017 AFC South champions. In 2017, the Jaguars had six players selected to the Pro Bowl, including three draft picks (DE Yannick Ngakoue, CB Jalen Ramsey and OLB Telvin Smith) and three free agent acquisitions (CB A.J. Bouye,*DECalais Campbelland DTMalik Jackson*). Campbell and Ramsey were both named first-team AP All-Pro, while Bouye and Smith were both named to the AP All-Pro second team.
In 2017, the Jaguars drafted RB Leonard Fournette in the first round (fourth overall) of the NFL Draft. Fournette surpassed 1,000 rushing yards (1,040) and totaled 10 TDs during the regular season (nine rushing, one receiving). In the postseason, the rookie running back totaled four rushing TDs, including three against Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional round, and became just the fifth rookie to score at least four TDs in a single postseason in NFL history. Fournette's three rushing TDs against Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional round were the most by a Jaguars rookie in a postseason game in franchise history.
A veteran of more than 20 years in the NFL, Caldwell spent five seasons (2008-12) with the Atlanta Falcons before joining the Jaguars. Previously with the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts, Caldwell has been with teams that went to the playoffs in 14 of his 22 NFL seasons.
Marrone and Caldwell will be available to the media at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 10:15 a.m. and noon, respectively.
