At least two NFL teams have reached out to Urban Meyer to see whether the former Ohio State coach would be interested in interviewing for — if not accepting — a head-coaching job at the next level, league sources told ESPN.
Meyer, according to a source connected to one of those teams, did not dismiss the overtures and is considering whether to make the jump to the NFL. He intends to decide in the next week, before the NFL regular season is over, and teams expect to hear his decision in the coming days.
Meyer would become one of the most intriguing candidates in this season’s NFL head-coaching cycle. He last coached at Ohio State in 2018 but has never coached at the NFL level.
With his connections to the state of Florida — having coached the Gators from 2005 to 2010 — Meyer might be a logical fit for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have a vacancy at general manager and are closing in on securing the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2021.
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, who is 12-34 since the start of the 2018 season, has one year remaining on his contract after this season.
Sources who have spoken to Meyer believe he wants to make sure that, if he decides to make the jump to the NFL, he is prepared to fully immerse himself in a new world.
Meyer, 56, retired from coaching in December 2018 after seven seasons at Ohio State. He went 187-32 in parts of 17 seasons at Ohio State, Florida, Utah and Bowling Green and won three national titles — two with the Gators (2006, 2008) and one with the Buckeyes (2014).