The optics of the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach search continue to take a hit. 

This time, it is on the Kevin O'Connell front. The Jaguars now have to rely on a specific result in Sunday's NFC Championship Game to give them a chance to speak to O'Connell within the next two weeks. 

Per NFL rules, the Jaguars won't be able to give O'Connell his first official interview until after the Super Bowl if the Rams advance to the championship game with a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. This is because the Jaguars had not yet given O'Connell an interview, while other teams such as the Minnesota Vikings can interview O'Connell again as soon as Monday regardless of Sunday's results.

Considering the Jaguars had a two-week head start on their coach search over seven of the other eight franchises who kicked off head coach searches this offseason, having to wait to speak to O'Connell due to not having previously done so would be a significant black eye on a process that continues to paint the Jaguars in a bad light.

The Jaguars have gone through twists and turns throughout the process, losing out on potential candidates such as Nathaniel Hackett and Matt Eberflus while other potential candidates have told the Jaguars they will not work with general manager Trent Baalke, who is still employed by owner Shad Khan.

Baalke has played a major role in the search for Urban Meyer's replacement, assisting Shad and Tony Khan during the interview process. The Jaguars did give a second interview to Byron Leftwich, but no agreement has been reached between the two sides, with Baalke's presence looming over the search.

O'Connell could be a pivot by Baalke and the Jaguars after striking out on their other top candidates, but the Jaguars did not make O'Connell a member of their nine-coach interview pool during the month-long search up to this point.

O'Connell was a third-round selection at quarterback for the New England Patriots in 2008 and spent time with the Jets, Lions, and Dolphins. O'Connell got his first NFL job as a quarterbacks coach with the Cleveland Browns in 2015, before becoming a special projects assistant with the 49ers in 2016 (overlapping with Trent Baalke's final year).

O'Connell became quarterbacks coach in Washington in 2017 before being promoted to passing game coordinator in 2018 and offensive coordinator in 2019. In 2020, O'Connell was hired by Sean McVay as Rams' offensive coordinator.