NFL insider warns silence 'deafening' around fourth potential head coach hot seat after Jets, Saints, Bears

The New York Jets, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears have all been obvious landing spots for head coaching candidates for quite some time. However, while many opportunities are clear long before the end of the offseason, there are usually some teams that add themselves to the pile after Week 18.

One coach that could potentially get the axe is Doug Pederson. The Jaguars coach's staff "feels uncertainty," according to an ESPN article by Jeremy Fowler on Thursday.

"Most people I've talked to expect the Raiders and Jaguars jobs to turn over," Fowler wrote. "Members of both staffs feel uncertainty, though Pierce is trying to make this interesting with back-to-back wins for Las Vegas.

"And the silence is deafening in Jacksonville. Owner Shad Khan hasn't tipped his hand and wasn't in the locker room postgame Sunday, which is not the norm after a win. But some people there believe coach Doug Pederson is projecting confidence, so we'll see."

At the end of the day, Pederson's future, like every coach from the Jets to the Rams, comes down to how the owner feels. Khan is human and as such, could be impacted by any number of factors up to and moments before he decides on Pederson's future.

However, if he is going to make a move, the strategically optimal time to do so has arrived. With every passing moment, other teams are narrowing down their next coach, which could end up being the one the Jaguars want.

Exploring why the Jaguars job might be attractive

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson looks on - Source: Imagn

The coaching search segment of the NFL calendar is still young, so essentially every candidate except Bill Belichick is available for the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears and others. However, while every NFL head coaching job is attractive on some level, the best candidates will have plenty of reasons to decline the Jaguars.

That said, Jacksonville can craft a compelling case as well.

The Jaguars can argue that the division lacks a true perennial favorite with two hands on the division. Unlike a situation like the AFC East with the Jets stuck facing Josh Allen for the next decade, the bar the Jaguars have to cross to win the division next season is not exactly sky-high. The Texans could finish at 9-8 this season, pointing to that fact.

Coaching candidates like Ben Johnson, Jon Gruden, Pete Carroll and others also won't have to coach up a quarterback from scratch with Trevor Lawrence. Brian Thomas Jr. has also proven to be able to be a franchise receiver, so there are pieces to the team that could sell a coach.

Of course, it will fall on the Jaguars to list out these assets for the top coaching candidates looking for any small reason to remove a team to narrow down a landing spot. At this point, the New York Jets or any other franchise could possibly decide on a coach before the Jaguars move on from theirs.