Doug Marrone Still Unemployed After Backing Out Of Broncos Interview

Doug Marrone doesn’t appear to be in that big a hurry to get a new job. The former Buffalo Bills head coach has been mentioned with every opening this season, but so far, Doug Marrone hasn’t actually landed a role yet. The latest twist and turn in the Doug Marrone saga is that the former coach has apparently backed out of a meeting with the Denver Broncos for their newly empty position.

Doug Marrone was previously thought to be the favorite for the Chicago Bears and the New York Jets, but it also seems as if the coach has been dragging his feet and losing out. The NFL head coaching search has always been a bit of a game of musical chairs, but this year, the game has ramped up a bit. The Bears job in particular saw a potential landing spot disappear after former Broncos’ coach John Fox was suddenly available.

Doug Marrone was also supposed to be the odds-on favorite for the New York Jets job, but they ended up hiring Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles instead. SB Nation reports that Doug Marrone might be trying to save a little face considering the reports that Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak is the leading candidate to replace John Fox.

It now appears Doug Marrone is a long shot to get a head coaching job this year. That might mean he overplayed his hand when he opted out of his contract with the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago. Doug Marrone might have to settle for a coordinator job this year and hope he can get back into the mix next season during the coaching carousel. Reports indicate he interviewed with Jacksonville to be their offensive coordinator.

Of course, other coaches have also interviewed for that job, and it’s possible he could settle for an assistant level job. One has to wonder whether he would have left the Bills if he had known he was going to have to be scrambling for a job at this late date. The former Syracuse head man is just 15-17 with the Bills, but finished this year 9-7 and looked like he had the team going in the right direction.

Those outside Buffalo were surprised that he left, but there had been reports all season inside the franchise that he was having issues with management. Doug Marrone will now need to move onto phase two of his job plan.