The LA Chargers are blessed to have one of the best head coaches in the NFL, Jim Harbaugh. Prior to Harbaugh, though, the Chargers head coach job appeared to be cursed as the team went through a string of underwhelming head coaches with very limited success.
The time between Norv Turner and Jim Harbaugh truly was one of the least successful periods in franchise history (which also coincided with Tom Telesco's entire tenure as general manager). The Chargers made the playoffs three times in the 11 years (despite always having an elite quarterback) and won just two playoff games.
Mike McCoy served as the first of the three head coaches Telesco hired as GM and his tenure with the Chargers was so bad that he never received another head coaching chance. Following his disappointing three-year tenure, McCoy spent one year as the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator, one year as the Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator, and did not coach in the NFL again until 2022.
Now, all this time later, McCoy might get another chance to flex his head coaching chops with the Jacksonville Jaguars. There is real belief around the league that Doug Pederson could be fired after the Jaguars' Week 11 game against the Detroit Lions and McCoy's name has emerged as an interim head coach candidate.
"If Pederson is out, QB coach Mike McCoy does have head-coaching experience and could be the one to step in, having coached the Chargers from 2013-16"Ian Rapoport, NFL Network
Former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy circled as temporary Doug Pederson replacement
At this point, it doesn't really matter who the Jaguars tap on the shoulder to be the interim head coach. A loss to the Lions would move the Jaguars to 2-9 on the season with Trevor Lawrence on the shelf with a shoulder injury.
The focus in Jacksonville will rightly shift to the future both with the head coach position and with the 2025 NFL Draft. Jacksonville has a real chance at securing the first overall pick and could receive a king's ransom for trading the pick to a quarterback-hungry team.
With these clear objectives, promoting McCoy to interim head coach makes a lot of sense for the Jaguars. McCoy was brought out of pseudo-NFL retirement by Pederson and he is not going to be part of the new coaching regime in the future. Like Giff Smith in 2023, there is no harm in "promoting" McCoy because the team knows it doesn't have to demote him back to quarterbacks coach next season.
Plus, the Jaguars are better off losing games at this point in the season and if there is one thing McCoy knows how to do, it is lose football games.
Like the Chargers in 2023, the Jaguars have a bad record and a hurt quarterback. Jacksonville needs to follow LA's lead and punt on the 2024 season, and if they play their cards right, they can hire a new head coach who is 75% as good as Jim Harbaugh.