Jacksonville Jaguars, Urban Mayer in advance talks about opening training, sources say

League sources told ESPN’s Adam Shifter that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Urban Mayer are in advanced talks to see if they can strike a deal this week.

After another meeting with Jaguar on Wednesday, the sources said Mayer is very interested in the possibility of training in the NFL.

The sources said that there was regular contact and interaction between the two sides, and Mayer assembled a training staff, including some assistants from the ranks of the college, in case he decided to take over the Jaguar job.

Mayer won three national championships and amassed a 187-32 college training record during his stints at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida, and Ohio State. He won two of those titles (2006, 2008) with Team Gators, which led him to the record 65-15 in six seasons. He also led Buckeyes to win the 2014 national title and compiled a record 9-83 in seven seasons in Columbus.

Jaguar owner Chad Khan fired Doug Marron on January 4 after Jacksonville ended his worst season in the franchise’s history (1–15). Maroney had a record 25-44 (including playoffs) in four seasons with Jaguar.

The Jaguars shed 492 points on the franchise record, becoming the fifth team since the NFL expanded its 16-game schedule in 1978 to allow at least 20 points per game, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Offensively, Team Jaguars ranked 28 or worse in yards per game, sprinting and scoring goals. They ranked 21 on passes, which is largely a product of being left behind in games and having to abandon the race.

Information from ESPN’s Michael Deruko was used in this report.