NFL: Jaguars, Chargers fire head coaches in annual NFL purge

[January 05, 2021] 

(Reuters) - The Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Chargers parted ways with their respective head coaches on Monday as the annual purge of personnel continued for underperforming teams across the National Football League (NFL).

A day after the 2-14 New York Jets fired Adam Gase, the Jaguars let go of head coach Doug Marrone after a 1-15 season, the worst record in the NFL, and the Chargers dismissed Anthony Lynn after two consecutive losing campaigns.

Marrone led the Jaguars to the AFC Championship game in the first of his four years in the role, which they lost 24-20 to the New England Patriots.

However, he was unable to sustain the momentum and the team finished last in the AFC South in the following three seasons.

"I am committed and determined to deliver winning football to the City of Jacksonville," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement on Marrone's departure. "Realizing that goal requires a fresh start throughout our football operations."

The Jaguars head coaching position is widely considered as one of the most attractive in the league since the team have the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

"Now the quest begins to find a head coach who shares my ambition for the Jacksonville Jaguars and our fans, whose loyalty and faith are overdue to be rewarded," added Khan.

Lynn, a former offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills who the Chargers hired in 2017, is leaving Los Angeles after lacklustre 5-11 and 7-9 records in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone speaks with members of the offense during the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

"This is a results-driven business and, simply put, the results of the past two years have fallen short of expectations," Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in a statement.

"Moving forward, we will redouble our efforts to both build and maintain a championship-caliber program."

Elsewhere in the league, Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway, who won the Super Bowl twice during his 16 seasons as a quarterback for the team, said he would "step up into an elevated role and hire a general manager."

Elway said he will remain president of football operations in 2021 and help in the process of hiring a general manager for the 5-11 Broncos alongside head coach Vic Fangio.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Ken Ferris)

[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.