Following a 20-13 loss in which the Jaguars offense struggled to move the football, owner Wayne Weaver decided to relieve head coach Jack Del Rio of his duties, according to ESPN.
With Del Rio as the only member of the coaching staff whose contract doesn't expire at season's end, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver had to either give the entire staff including Del Rio contract extensions or let them go. With a 3-8 record, the decision seemed pretty obvious.
The proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back" for Del Rio may have been his benching of rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who had struggled on Sunday. In a game with little opportunity to win, the only thing benching the rookie quarterback accomplished was giving him yet another reason to lose confidence.
In nearly nine seasons as head coach, Del Rio never won the AFC South and has just one playoff victory on his resume.
At this point it is unclear who will take over the interim head coaching duties as defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, as well as linebackers coach Mark Duffner have been some of the names mentioned.
Charlie Bernstein is the NFL Insider for ESPNFlorida.com and ESPN 1080 and 1040 in Orlando/Tampa and Editor-in-Chief of Sports Media Interactive, covering the National Football League, NCAA, and National Basketball Association. Charlie covers the Jacksonville Jaguars for FoxSports and has been featured on the NFL Network and Sirius NFL Radio. Charlie is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Charlie on Twitter @nflcharlie
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