By most accounts, the Cleveland Browns are hiring one of the top names in this round of the NFL coaching carousel with Hue Jackson, but it’s fair to remain skeptical that this will finally be the coach that turns things around in Cleveland.
The Browns will hire the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator to be their new head coach of the perpetually reshaping franchise. He becomes the team’s eighth head coach since 1999 (and sixth since 2008), replacing Mike Pettine, who compiled a 10-22 record in two seasons. NFL.com’s Mike Silver reported the news, via Twitter, on Wednesday afternoon.
Hue Jackson will become the next head coach of the Cleveland Browns. "They made me feel comfortable," he just told me.
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 13, 2016
According to NFL.com, Jackson had been the number one pick for Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam, who skipped out on the NFL’s Los Angeles relocation voting process Tuesday night in order to devote his time to finalizing a deal with the next head coach of the Browns. Jackson has been a hot name in the coaching rumor mill this year, with the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants also reported to have great interest. Once the Bengals took an early exit from the AFC Playoffs last weekend, Jackson was free to get moving on his future.
This past season, Cincinnati had the sixth-best rushing offense in the NFL, while ranking seventh in scoring offense. According to Silver, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis tried to keep Jackson by proposing a plan of succession. But how long would that have kept Jackson from another head coaching position?
If you are a Bengals fan who wanted Hue to stay: Leaving was harder for him than you would believe
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 13, 2016
“We’re happy to help Hue,” Lewis recently told Silver. “We know how rough it was for him four years ago, when he basically went through hell, and how hard it was for him to work his way out of that. He has been a great addition to our staff for four years, in ways that people don’t even understand.
This will not be Jackson’s first stint as a head coach, of course. Jackson coached the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and went 8-8 with a roster of misfits and characters. That experience should come in handy, because the Browns are quite a bunch of misfits as well. That list is topped by quarterback Johnny Manziel, but at least one NFL reporter thinks Jackson won’t bother dealing with that mess.
The Hue Jackson Era in Cleveland will trigger the end of Johnny Manziel and the #Browns. Expect the new coach to move on from the QB.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 13, 2016
ESPN’s Dan Graziano also reported that Manziel was a major topic of discussion between Jackson and Browns ownership during interviews. The coach indicated that he would prefer cutting the quarterback loose if he were to take the job, and was apparently told that wouldn’t be a problem. Cleveland has the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and Cal quarterback Jared Goff looks like a likely selection.
So best of luck to Jackson, who has certainly waited a while to receive this kind of opportunity again. In Cleveland, he may need all the luck he can get.
When you get a hired as a head coach and then look at the roster you're about to take over pic.twitter.com/7Kja9PeF2n
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) January 13, 2016
