Insider Says Jaguars Made 11th-Hour Effort To Bring Defensive Coordinator to Jacksonville

Also a head-coach finalist in Jacksonville, Graham opted to return to Raiders and join Pete Carroll

Sep 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham reacts in the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Liam Coen didn’t sign the contract Tampa Bay offered him to return as offensive coordinator. A week later, Coen reportedly asked Patrick Graham not to sign the contract the Raiders offered him to return as defensive coordinator. Jacksonville’s new head coach made an 11th-hour effort to make Graham his defensive coordinator, according to Las Vegas Raiders on SI Beat Reporter Hondo Carpenter.

Graham spent plenty of time with the Jaguars last month. In fact, he was in their headquarters for a second head-coach interview on Jan. 23, during the biggest hurricane of the NFL hiring cycle.

The day before, owner Shad Khan shocked the NFL by firing general manager Trent Baalke. And after the Jaguars secured Coen as head coach, Coen wanted Graham as his defensive coordinator – a key hire for a play-calling coach with an offensive pedigree.

Coen interviewed Graham on Jan. 27. Two days later, news broke that Graham had agreed to a new contract to join Pete Carroll and return as the Raiders’ defensive coordinator.

“Moments after the story broke that Patrick Graham was going to re-sign with the Raiders,” Carpenter said on the , “the Jacksonville Jaguars reached out to him and made it abundantly clear, asking him not to sign a deal, and they were willing to pay him more than what the Raiders are going to pay him.

“But Patrick Graham nixed it and said, ‘No, I gave my word’ and didn’t turn it into a bidding war.”

That was great news for the Raiders, who welcomed back their popular defensive leader. It was bad news for Coen, who obviously saw something when he went head-to-head with Graham in a Dec. 8 contest at Raymond James Stadium.

The Buccaneers wound up pulling away in the fourth quarter en route to a 28-13 win, but the middle of the game was arguably the best 30-plus minutes the Raiders played all season defensively.

Tampa Bay jumped out to a 14-0 lead after a pair of first-quarter touchdown drives, then committed three turnovers and punted on four second-quarter possessions. Graham’s unit held the Bucs to punts on each of their next two drives before Baker Mayfield ended the game with two more touchdown drives.

Coen wound up hiring Packers linebackers coach Anthony Campanile as defensive coordinator on Jan. 30.

The Jaguars will visit the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in 2025.

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