Report: Jaguars WR Coach Chris Jackson Leaving Staff For Texas Longhorns Job

The long-rumored addition for the Longhorns and loss for the Jaguars means Doug Pederson will have to fill at least one spot on his coaching staff.

It appears Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson will have to fill out at least one piece of his staff this offseason. 

According to a report from 1010 XL's Mia O'Brien, Jaguars wide receivers coach Chris Jackson has informed Pederson that he will be taking the same role with the Texas Longhorns; a job Jackson has been linked to for over a week, and just eight days earlier denied knowledge of. 

#Jaguars WR Coach Chris Jackson has informed Doug Pederson's staff he is taking the same position at @TexasFootball, per multiple sources #Jaguars WRs caught 238 passes for 2,677 yards and 19 TDs in his lone season in 2022, including Christian Kirk & Zay Jones' historic seasons

— Mia O'Brien (@MiaOBrienTV) January 24, 2023

"FYI, I deal in reality and not rumors. I am the WR coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars where I’m under contract and absolutely ❤️ it! My main focus is doing my job to the best of my ability and preparing for a huge playoff game this weekend vs the Chiefs. 🔐 in!" Jackson posted on Twitter on Jan. 18.

"I have not had any conversation with anyone outside of this organization regarding coaching. I am a Jacksonville Jaguar!!"

Jackson has been applauded by receivers inside the Jaguars' locker room this year for his enthusiasm and attention to detail. Under Jackson, wide receivers Christian Kirk (84/1,108/8) and Zay Jones (82/823/5) have had the best seasons of their careers, with the Jaguars' wide receivers improving in a big way compared to last year's Sanjay Lal-led unit. Jackson's own experience as an NFL player has played a big part in his success with the Jaguars.

Pederson emphasized continuity on the staff for the Jaguars moving into 2023. Now, he will have to find it elsewhere at receivers coach.

“Yeah, I mean, one of the things I think we can improve as an offense is just the actual throwing and catching of the football. I just felt like there were times this year when we just missed on a couple of things and that just comes from working together," Pederson said on Monday. "That’s the jump that you talk about from year one to year two. This past offseason, a year ago, it was all about every day it was a new day. We were putting something new in and we weren’t going back and really catching up on things we put in two days ago. 

"This offseason it’s going to be about just picking up where we left off and moving forward. That’s a big jump right there, and just getting better with route discipline, route detail, and then Trevor just understanding where the guys are, delivering the football, being accurate in certain situations. We can improve in the red zone; we can improve on third down. These are all areas we’re going to focus on this spring, but that’s where you’re going to see the biggest jump, just the pitching and catching between quarterback and skill group.”