Shane Waldron Went From Bears Flop to Jaguars Promo in One Year. What Changed?

The Jacksonville Jaguars just handed a promotion to a guy who was running one of the worst offenses in football a year ago. That’s not a typo.

Shane Waldron, the former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator who watched his unit finish dead last in total offense in 2024, was elevated to assistant head coach and pass game coordinator for the Jaguars. The news broke via ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Special teams coach Heath Farwell also got a new title, becoming associate head coach alongside his existing duties.

Waldron landed in Jacksonville last season as passing game coordinator after getting fired from the Bears. That Chicago offense averaged just 284.6 yards per game. It was ugly. But the Jaguars saw something they liked, and honestly, the results this year make the decision look a lot smarter.

Trevor Lawrence took a real step forward

Lawrence threw for a career-high 29 touchdowns in 2025. He piled up 4,007 yards and completed 60.9 percent of his passes. The Jaguars jumped from 25th in passing offense to 11th, averaging 337.4 yards per game. That’s not a small bump. That’s a genuine leap.

Now, nobody’s saying Waldron single-handedly fixed everything. Head coach Liam Coen has gotten most of the credit around the league. Offensive coordinator Grant Udinski has been so impressive that he’s landed multiple head coaching interviews this cycle. But Waldron was in the room. He was part of the system that got Lawrence back on track after a rocky stretch.

Jacksonville’s front office clearly noticed. The promotion isn’t just a nice gesture. It’s a signal that they trust Waldron to keep building on what worked this season.

The Bears disaster is still fresh, and nobody’s pretending otherwise. But Waldron seems to have found a better fit in Jacksonville. Different personnel. Different scheme. Different head coach. Sometimes a coordinator just needs the right situation, and right now, Waldron has it.

Jacksonville made the playoffs in 2025 for the first time since 2022. That’s the bottom line. The offense was a big reason why, and Waldron now has a bigger role in making sure it doesn’t backslide.