Will Urban Meyer receive pay for the remaining years of his contract?
Urban Meyer is newly unemployed, thanks to Jaguars owner Shad Khan, who fired the former college coach earlier this week. Unlike lower-level workers in other industries, untangling the chains of an NFL head coach is not something quick that happens overnight. There are a list of levers and decisions that need to be pulled and made as a result of the firing, chief among which is handling Meyer's pay.
Will Urban Meyer get paid for services unrendered? The Jaguars have reached a decision on this, and Meyer will not like the result. Here's what we know.
Will Urban Meyer collect the remainder of his deal?
Put simply, the Jaguars will not be paying Meyer the remainder of his contract. According to Adam Schefter, the Jaguars said they fired Meyer for "cause" and, thus, will not be paying him the remainder of his salary. According to ESPN, the Jaguars are not using one specific instance as the catalyst. Instead, they are using a combination of various issues that have occurred during Meyer's tenure.
More on the Jacksonville Jaguars firing Urban Meyer for cause, with the intent of not paying the four years remaining on his contract:
espn.com/nfl/story/_/id…
Meyer's inability to lead a winning football team summarizes the littany of issues that Khan had with the former college coach. According to the article, Meyer and Khan had a conversation in the locker room about Meyer's vision for the team. After the 20-0 shutout loss to the Titans, Meyer expressed a lack of answers as to how to fix the issues presented with the team.
Jacksonville fired its former HC Urban Meyer for cause, with the intention of not paying him the remaining four years of his contract, sources tell @JeffDarlington and me.
Khan had been mulling Meyer's fate for weeks and, after the conversation, felt he had enough reason to let Meyer go in good conscience. In his mind, it was time to move on.
What happens next?
Without Meyer, the Jaguars are worth keeping half an eye on to see if they can surge without his presence. If they surge, Khan will immediately feel encouraged about his decision. If they don't, Khan will know where he stands. Either way, the Jaguars have a number of decisions ahead of them heading into 2022.
By firing Meyer early, Khan now has extra time to look at options around the country. He can get in the ear of top candidates early. Currently, he only has to compete with the Las Vegas Raiders, who let Jon Gruden out the door after news about his emails broke.
Also Read: NFL Rumors: Urban Meyer's journey in the league likely to last one season
Aside from landing Trevor Lawrence, it appears the Jaguars are in the same place at the end of 2021 as they were at the end of 2020.