The Philadelphia Eagles have two key competitors for Gus Bradley’s services. Obviously, the Eagles should worry about the Seattle Seahawks the most, since Bradley is the architect of their stingy defense. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars are the only other team that can make him a head coach, but on paper, they aren’t nearly as attractive as Philadelphia.
Yet the Eagles didn’t sign Bradley after their latest talks on Jan. 15, and now he is set to interview with the Jaguars on Jan. 16, according to Comcast SportsNet. If he goes through with it, then Bradley must decide whether he wants to be a head coach for the Eagles or Jaguars, or remain a defensive coordinator for the much better Seahawks.
Unless he wants to stay where he is, then his choice between Philadelphia and Jacksonville would appear obvious. The Jaguars are one of the few teams who did worse than the Eagles in 2012, going 2-14 and not even getting the No. 1 draft pick. What’s more, their future in Jacksonville and as an NFL franchise in general is very uncertain.
With regular blackouts and with Los Angeles still in need of an NFL team, the Jaguars will need to make a big splash in the years ahead just to stay in Jacksonville. Bradley shouldn’t want to go from the Seahawks to a team like that, or pass up the Eagles for a team like that. But if Jacksonville has the cash and if Philadelphia really isn’t that appealing anymore, perhaps that’s how it would turn out.
If the Eagles lose Bradley to a 2-14 Jaguars club, it would truly show how far they have fallen. But if both situations are equally unappealing, Bradley could choose to stay in Seattle and wait for more appealing jobs next season. Given how close the Seahawks came to the NFC title game, and how promising their future is with Russell Wilson, a big season in 2013 may make Bradley an even hotter candidate next winter.
Jacksonville is where Philadelphia went to its only Super Bowl under Andy Reid, and things never got better from there after the Eagles lost. As such, it may make twisted sense if Jacksonville derails Philadelphia again by landing Bradley.
That shouldn’t happen on paper, but on paper, the Eagles should have had at least one championship with Reid -- so logic hasn’t always been Philadelphia’s friend.
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