11:50am: The Jaguars have officially announced Marrone’s hiring in a press release.
10:58am: Former Bills head coach Doug Marrone has found a new job with another AFC team, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union, who reports (via Twitter) that the Jaguars have hired Marrone. Per O’Halloran, Marrone’s title in Jacksonville will be assistant head coach and offensive line coach, so it seems the club is still looking for an offensive coordinator to replace Jedd Fisch.
Marrone, who led the Bills to a 9-7 record in 2014, narrowly missing a playoff spot, opted out of his contract following the team’s final regular season game. Marrone’s agreement with the Bills allowed him to receive his full $4MM salary for 2015 despite the fact that he’s no longer coaching the team.
When Marrone made his decision to opt out, there was some speculation that he may have another opportunity lined up, but it doesn’t appear that was the case. The former Bills coach interviewed with the Falcons, Bears, Jets, and – according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link) – the 49ers for their head coaching openings, and also had a meeting lined up with the Broncos before he canceled it. All five teams ultimately went in other directions.
As Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com observes (via Twitter), the Jaguars still technically have offensive line coach George Yarno under contract, in addition to Marrone. However, Yarno won’t coach in 2015, as he continues to battle cancer.