General manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars Dave Caldwell was fired on Sunday evening following the team’s 10th consecutive loss, its single-season record.
The loss today against the Cleveland Browns knocked the Jags to a 1-10 record. That makes three consecutive seasons of double-digit losses.
Caldwell has been the Jaguars’ general manager since January 2013. However, much to his downfall, he as presided over only one winning season. The Jaguars were 39-86 during his tenure and have lost 10 or more games in every season under his watch except in 2017.
Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan made the move away from Caldwell on Sunday after contemplating firing him last year.
“Dave was exceptionally committed and determined to bring a winner to Jacksonville, but unfortunately his efforts were not rewarded with the results our fans deserve and our organization expects,” Khan said in a statement after a 27-25 loss to Cleveland. “Our football operation needs new leadership, and we will have it with a new general manager in 2021.”
Khan says that he will keep coach Doug Marrone and his staff to finish out the season. That likely means that the team’s next general manager will decide their fate, although, it seems unlikely that Marrone will return in 2021. In the meantime, former San Francisco front-office executive Trent Baalke will serve as the Jags’ interim general manager.
Whoever ultimately winds up with the Jaguars’ GM job will find themselves in a pretty attractive situation. He or she will be working under a patient owner in Khan. Further, the team will likely have a top-two pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in a QB-rich year. The Jags also have multiple ’21 picks in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 7th rounds in addition to some already nice young pieces on the roster.
Jacksonville Jaguars Fanbase Responds to Firing of Caldwell
Jacksonville fans took to social media in pure joy immediately after the firing of Dave Caldwell. One fan posted a popular social media video showing multiple people dancing to music. He captioned the video, “ALL JAGUAR FANS RIGHT NOW.”
Another fan retweeted a fake, yet hilarious response to the Caldwell firing. The original tweet shows fireworks being shot off over a city with the caption, “Wow they are shooting off fireworks downtown to celebrate Caldwell being fired.”
While the original tweet wasn’t real, the fan retweeted it saying, “don’t ever say Jacksonville doesn’t take football seriously!!!!!!!!!!!!”
One fan wasn’t happy with just the Caldwell firing. She thought the team should fire their head coach on the spot as well.
“Now fire Marrone,” she wrote.
However, for the most part, Jags’ fans were on cloud nine after Caldwell was let go. One fan says “Best news I’ve had all year.”
Best news I’ve had all year
— Depressed Jags Fan (1-10) (@Minshew_Mania) November 29, 2020
Another wrote “AM I DREAMING???”
AM I DREAMING???
— Florda Man🐆🔥🐬 (@MrPringle69420) November 29, 2020
