Beleaguered Trent Baalke remains
Jaguars general manager entering Week 18 despite massive fan unrest, and he continues to have a considerable role in the team's ongoing coaching search.
As reported first last week, Baalke is a big supporter of former
Texans coach Bill O'Brien and, sources said, has proposed to ownership that pairing him with Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator could give the franchise the best chance of reversing its fortunes.
O'Brien, now the offensive coordinator at Alabama, will interview with the Jaguars this week following the NCAA title game Monday night, and his candidacy has continued to gain steam after he was not among the initial list of men to be interviewed. While many candidates have expressed
serious reservations about going to Jacksonville with Baalke running personnel, sources said, O'Brien is very much aligned with Baalke and, with his focus on the offensive side of ball, Fangio would be their target to run the defense if he got the job and Fangio was fired as Denver's head coach,
which is widely anticipated.