Jaguars 2025 head coach candidate profile: Ravens OC Todd Monken

For the third time in 5 years, the Jacksonville Jaguars are trying to find a brand new head coach.

Large Cat Nation’s Jaguars head coach hiring course of tracker is consistently being up to date — however to supply extra info on the highest candidates being interviewed, we’ll be releasing in-depth profiles all through the search.

Different head coach candidate profiles:

Subsequent up: Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, whom the Chicago Bears, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Jaguars have all requested interviews with.

Expertise

One of the vital skilled coaches of this cycle, Todd Monken started his soccer teaching profession as a three-year letterman at quarterback at Knox Faculty in Galesburg, Illinois. In 1988, he was ranked first within the nation in move makes an attempt, completions, and completion proportion as he earned All-Convention honors. Monken then started his teaching profession in 1989 at Grand Valley State as a graduate assistant for 2 years earlier than transitioning to Notre Dame to fill the identical position for 2 extra seasons. He would then obtain his first place coach position in 1993 because the defensive backs and huge receivers coach for Japanese Michigan College. He would obtain a promotion to offensive coordinator and huge receivers coach in 1998. After a two-year stint at Louisiana Tech College, a three-year position as passing recreation coordinator at Oklahoma State, and a two-year related position at LSU, Monken would land his first NFL position in Jacksonville.

After being employed because the huge receivers coach for the Jack Del Rio-led Jaguars in 2007, Monken would lead a beginning unit of Dennis Northcutt and Earnest Wilford in his first NFL season. Surprisingly, the group would go 11-5, totally on the again of a robust run recreation and a bodily protection. After a 31-20 divisional spherical playoff loss to the Patriots in 2007, the wheels would fall off in 2008 with Jacksonville going 5-11 with Monken’s unit that includes rookie WR Matt Jones (65 catches-761 yards-2 TDs) and Reggie Williams (37-364-3). Within the following 2009 season, whereas Monken’s receiving core of Mike Sims-Walker (63-869-7) and Torry Holt (51-722-0) would enhance in uncooked numbers, the group would nonetheless end at 7-9 earlier than going 8-8 in his closing full season in Jacksonville.

After leaving Jacksonville, Monken would settle for an offensive coordinator position with Oklahoma State Cowboys for 2 years earlier than getting his first head teaching position on the College of Southern Mississippi in 2013. Monken would flip the beforehand 0-12 Golden Eagles program round right into a 9-5 group taking part in within the convention championship by 2015. He would then return to the NFL because the Buccaneers offensive coordinator following the 2015 season. Monken’s Buccaneers offenses ranked 18th, ninth, and third in yards within the following three seasons, whereas rating 18th, 18th, and twelfth in factors. After the employees was let go following the 2018 5-11 season, Monken would grow to be the offensive coordinator for the Freddie Kitchens’ Browns. Regardless of Nick Chubb dashing for the second-most yards in his profession that season, the employees could be let go after going 6-10. Monken’s unit struggled to ship, rating twenty second in each factors and yardage with QB Baker Mayfield, RB Nick Chubb, and WRs Odell Beckam Jr, and Jarvis Landry on the roster.

Nonetheless, Monken teaching performances would bounce again in a giant means over the subsequent 5 years, touchdown at Georgia in 2020 as their offensive coordinator beneath Kirby Sensible. Monken’s offense averaged 32.3 factors per recreation in his preliminary season (thirty eighth), with the group going 8-2 with a Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati. He would comply with that season up with 14-1 and 15-0 nationwide championship seasons the place his offense would enhance to 38.6 (ninth) and 41.1 (fifth) in factors scored.

Monken would then grow to be the Ravens offensive coordinator in 2023, changing into among the best offensive coordinators within the league whereas getting essentially the most out of Lamar Jackson’s distinctive talent set. In constructing an offense round Jackson’s abilities, Monken’s unit completed sixth in yards and 4th in factors, with Lamar securing the offensive participant of the yr. The advance didn’t finish there, as Baltimore’s offense continued to enhance in 2024, rating 1st in yards and third in factors, with Lamar once more more likely to obtain the MVP trophy this season.

Efficiency

2024 Ravens offense

• Factors per recreation: 30.5 (third)
• First downs per recreation: 23.1 (third)
• Yards per recreation: 424.9 (1st)
• Yards per play: 6.8 (1st)
• EPA per play: 0.199 (1st)
• Success charge: 49.4% (2nd)

Passing offense

• Whole touchdowns: 41 (2nd)
• First downs per recreation: 11.7 (eleventh)
• Yards per recreation: 237.4 (seventh)
• Yards per try: 8.1 (1st)
• EPA per play: 0.328 (1st)
• Success charge: 52.5% (4th)

Dashing offense

• Whole touchdowns: 21 (sixth)
• First downs per recreation: 9.65 (1st)
• Yards per recreation: 187.6 (1st)
• Yards per try: 5.8 (1st)
• EPA per play: 0.053 (2nd)
• Success charge: 46.0% (2nd)

Situational offense

• Early down EPA per play: 0.172 (1st)
• Early down success charge: 48.9% (2nd)
• Late down EPA per play: 0.307 (4th)
• Late down success charge: 51.6% (4th)
• Landing charge within the purple zone: 74.2% (1st)

Quotes

Ravens HC John Harbaugh discusses early returns of hiring OC Todd Monken

From Kevin Oestreicher RavensWire (July 2023)

“Man, there’s nothing like the true factor, proper? Seeing Todd in actual life is even higher than stories I might say. He’s an excellent instructor. He does it in a really energetic form of means, the way in which that we like to see round right here. He’s simply very relatable. He’s additionally a really detailed coach—particularly within the passing recreation—however not simply that: the safety, the run recreation, the quarterback reads, the whole lot. He’s very concerned, very fingers on.”

Why it’s straightforward to place Todd Monken amongst finalists for Bears job

From Gene Chamberlain for Chicago Bears on SI (Jan. 2025)

With Greg Roman, Lamar Jackson by no means went over 64.4% completions. He’s at 66.7% this yr after 67.2% final yr, each with Monken. Jackson leads the NFL with a 119.6 passer ranking and eight.6 landing proportion. He’s averaging 8.8 yards per move try. Below Roman, he twice failed to achieve 100 passer ranking and had a excessive of 99.3. His yards per try had been between 6.9 and seven.5.

Is Todd Monken the subsequent Bruce Arians?

From Brendan Sugrue for BearsWire (Jan. 2025)

The Bears proceed to prioritize offensive-minded candidates for his or her subsequent head coach, and Monken has arguably extra expertise on that aspect of the ball than some other particular person they’re interviewing. Monken has spent over 30 years teaching place teams and holding coordinator positions on the school {and professional} ranges, from Japanese Michigan within the Nineteen Nineties to the Jacksonville Jaguars within the 2000s, Southern Miss within the 2010s, and now the Baltimore Ravens within the 2020s. He has seen all of it from a soccer standpoint, and he’s had success at a variety of spots. It’s that sort of expertise that will make him invaluable to the Bears.

5 Issues to Know About Ravens OC Todd Monken

From Omar Navarro for Chargers.com (Jan. 2024)

In 2018, the offense was capable of lead the NFL passing yards (320.3) and completed third in whole offense (415.5), setting single-season franchise information. Broad receiver Mike Evans had essentially the most manufacturing of his profession hauling in 1,524 receiving yards. Monken would transfer on to Cleveland for one season and noticed related explosiveness as Nick Chubb rushed for the second-most rush yards in a single season for his profession (1,494) in 2019.

25 potential NFL head coaches for 2025

From Wendell Ferreira for AtoZSports (Oct. 2024)

Monken has been an offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers and Browns. With the Ravens since final season, he unlocked a brand new model of Lamar Jackson and of the Ravens offense, who leads the NFL in DVOA via 5 weeks.

Lous Riddick on X

From ESPN & former Washington and Philadelphia government, Lous Riddick (Jan. 2025)

“For those who don’t wish to discuss to Todd Monken about your HC emptiness…you don’t know what you might be doing.”

Obvious pluses

• A major variety of years of participant growth: Heisman Finalist QB Stetson Bennett (Georgia), first spherical receivers Dwayne Bowe and Buster Davis (LSU), QB Lamar Jackson (Baltimore), and profession seasons for WR Mike Evans (Tampa Bay) and Nick Chubb (Cleveland).

• Head teaching expertise in dealing with a rebuild, with proof of idea at constructing a successful tradition from the bottom up at Southern Miss. Monken was additionally a finalist for the Broyles Award, acquired by the very best assistant coach in school soccer throughout his time at UGA.

• Monken has constructed up a really convincing resume in enhancing upon a strong offensive basis, turning them into dominant ones (i.e., Georgia, Baltimore, and arguably his Tampa Bay offenses)

• Has an intensive 30+ years of teaching expertise, with the power to solid a large internet in increase an skilled teaching employees.

Lingering questions

• Because of one among his current interviews reportedly not going as nicely within the final teaching cycle, questions may exist as to Monken’s want or capability to be a head coach on the NFL degree. Nonetheless, this might have merely been a team-specific situation, as he has interviewed with a lot success in previous years for a number of teaching roles with out rumors of difficulty. I might guess this may increasingly have merely been an ill-fit with both the Panthers or the Chargers management.
• Is Monken capable of succeed and not using a dominant offensive line, comparable to what he has had at his final two profitable stops (Baltimore and Georgia)? Inside Monken’s offense, a lot of the play relies off first establishing the run. Does he produce other instruments in his bag when his group isn’t larger, stronger, and extra bodily than his opponent? In his early years, with a brand new group will Todd have the ability to reach constructing an elite unit up entrance? These are among the questions that common managers with openings should reply all through this interview course of.
• Would somebody with the huge expertise and age of Monken pair higher with Jaguars GM Trent Baalke than say one of many youthful out there candidates? An argument might be made that Monken, along with his mixture of age, soccer community, offensive ingenuity, and adaptableness may give him an edge in Jacksonville over a number of candidates when evaluating the plan wholistically. This might be very true if Shad Khan was caught on conserving Trent Baalke throughout the entrance workplace shifting ahead.
• After Trent Baalke’s extensively reported previous conflict with Jim Harbaugh in San Franciso 49ers, one must assume that in a league constructed on relationships, Monken would’ve mentioned that prior state of affairs along with his boss, Baltimore Ravens head coach (and Jim’s brother), John Harbaugh. That dynamic could also be probably the most fascinating items of this interview course of. Would Monken, a former Jaguars place coach, be prepared to work with Trent Baalke in an effort to return to Jacksonville, with an consciousness of what has occurred and will once more happen?

Jaguar followers, how do you are feeling about Monken? Tell us within the feedback!