Head coach Doug Marrone and general manager Dave Caldwell will keep their jobs at the Jacksonville Jaguars, owner Shad Khan announced on Tuesday.
The Jaguars fired executive vice-president of football operations Tom Coughlin two weeks ago and Marrone admitted he was concerned about his position after they beat the Indianapolis Colts 38-20 on Sunday to finish the NFL season with a 6-10 record.
Khan met with Caldwell, the head coach and their assistants over recent days and spoke to the players on Monday, and those meetings led to him deciding to retain the duo's services.
"I have met on several occasions over the past few days with Dave Caldwell, Doug Marrone and their staffs to fully understand their plans to reverse our course and compete for a postseason berth in 2020," said Khan in a statement.
"In addition, I held numerous one-on-one meetings with players on Monday and thoroughly appreciated their candour and thoughtful views – some expected, some not – on the season behind us and where we go from here.
"While our discussions will remain confidential, the decision I am making to keep our staff intact for 2020 has nothing to do with our victory on Sunday and everything to do with my positive meetings with Dave, Doug, the coordinators and our players, as well as my belief that this is not the time to consider an overhaul of our organisation.
"The 2019 season was unacceptable and I've made my dissatisfaction clear. While many unusual circumstances influenced our season, none can fully explain or defend our second-half collapse with first place in the division within reach on Week 9. At the same time, there were positive developments and contributions that should not be overlooked."
Full Statement: https://t.co/qtzzUt5vDO pic.twitter.com/ubVgkrB8Nt
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) December 31, 2019
Khan confirmed Coughlin will not be replaced, and he wants to see how the team fares with the leadership tweak in 2020. He added: "Goals have been established. Accountability will be paramount."
Marrone has amassed a 22-28 regular-season record at the helm for Jacksonville, while going 2-1 in the playoffs.