WEDNESDAY, 9:49am: As expected, the Jaguars have made their hiring of Olson official today, announcing that he is the team’s new offensive coordinator (Twitter link via John Oehser of Jaguars.com).
TUESDAY, 8:24pm: The Jaguars are expected to name Olson as their new offensive coordinator on Wednesday, according to DiRocco (on Twitter).
7:42pm: Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Jags will not hire an offensive coordinator tonight.
4:42pm: Gus Bradley claims that he has yet to offer the job to anyone, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times Union (on Twitter).
2:55pm: The NFL’s annual version of musical chairs continues today, as former Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson has landed a new job, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). La Canfora reports that, after an extensive search, the Jaguars are hiring Olson to become their new offensive coordinator.
Olson’s two-year stint with the Raiders wasn’t overly successful, with his offense finishing in the bottom five in the NFL in DVOA both years, including 30th overall in 2014. Still, Olson didn’t have a ton of talent to work with in Oakland — in 2013, Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin split time at quarterback, and this past season, second-round rookie Derek Carr took the reins, with James Jones and Andre Holmes acting as his top receivers.
In Jacksonville, where he coached quarterbacks in 2012 prior to joining the Raiders, Olson will work with another 2014 draftee, in third overall pick Blake Bortles. There’s plenty of uncertainty heading into the offseason in Jacksonville as well, with Cecil Shorts eligible for free agency and Bortles having struggled in his rookie year. However, there’s also some young talent on the roster, including Denard Robinson, Allen Hurns, Allen Robinson, and Marqise Lee.
Besides talking to Olson, the Jaguars also interviewed several other candidates as they searched for a replacement for Jedd Fisch. Adam Gase, Nathaniel Hackett, Greg Olson, Anthony Lynn, and Kirby Wilson are among the interviewees who are still available and whom Olson beat out. The biggest surprise in the bunch is Gase — he was viewed a strong candidate for the team, particularly after the Ravens elected to hire Marc Trestman as their offensive coordinator.
The hiring of Olson is the second major addition to the offensive staff today by the Jaguars, who also reached an agreement with Doug Marrone to become the team’s assistant head coach and offensive line coach.