NFL Rumors: Teams contacting Urban Meyer as coaching candidate
Urban Meyer could be on an NFL sideline sooner rather than later.
The retired Ohio State coach has been contacted by at least two NFL teams gauging his interest in interviewing, and maybe even accepting, a head coaching job in the league, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Sunday, citing sources.
Schefter also reported, per a source, that Meyer isn't dismissing the option and is considering coaching in the NFL. He plans to make a decision in the next week, with teams expecting his decision soon, Schefter reported.
Current NFL head coach openings include the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons, and more jobs are always liable to open up. Schefter also linked Meyer to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Doug Marrone is still employed by the Jaguars and has one year remaining on his contract. However, Jacksonville will soon hire a new general manager, and Meyer has connections to the state, as he coached the Florida Gators to two national championship titles.
Urban Meyer's resume speaks for itself
Anyone involved in NFL decision-making likely knows of Meyer's resume.
He fielded an immensely successful college coaching career, notching a 187-32 overall record across 17 seasons as a head coach.
Meyer was 17-6 overall at Bowling Green, 22-2 at Utah, 65-15 at Florida and 83-9 at Ohio State. He won three national championships, two with the Gators and one with the Buckeyes.
Meyer is known for effectively using and popularizing the spread offense, which uses most of the field to spread out defenses, creating both passing opportunities and running lanes for the ground game.
Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow played for Meyer at Florida, and Meyer's spread offense helped Tebow flourish as one of the college game's best dual-threat signal callers.
Meyer also coached quarterback Alex Smith at Utah, who was drafted first-overall in the 2005 NFL Draft.
After retiring from coaching in late 2018, Meyer currently works as an assistant athletic director at Ohio State and an analyst for Fox Sports. He appears weekly on Fox's "Big Noon Kickoff" college football show.
Meyer has also been mentioned as a candidate for multiple college coaching openings, and last month, reports indicated there was interest from the Texas Longhorns to hire him to lead that program.
He reportedly turned down the Longhorns due to health concerns; he battled medical issues during his coaching career.
Meyer has never coached in the NFL. If he was hired to fill one of the NFL's open coaching positions, it would only add to an already-standout resume for one of the top football coaches in recent history.