Jaguars made late push to make Patrick Graham defensive coordinator

The Jacksonville Jaguars have their new defensive coordinator in Anthony Campanile, and Patrick Graham returned to Las Vegas to to be the Raiders defensive coordinator.

However, according to a report from NFL insider Josina Anderson, the Jaguars did make a late push for Graham.

Good Morning #Raiders and #Jags fans, a NEW uncorrupted article link has been added in the replies of the original post below.

Yes it’s true Patrick Graham was still receiving calls from the #Jags to reconsider taking the DC job with the #Raiders soon after the tweet went out… https://t.co/gtfn6hhmHU

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 1, 2025

Graham was one of the four reported interviewees for the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator opening. However, this past Wednesday, it was reported by Anderson that Graham and the Raiders were “working on a deal” to bring him back as the defensive coordinator.

But even as Graham began negotiation talks with the Raiders, Jacksonville “still attempted to insert last minute persuasions to make him a Jaguar,” said Anderson.

“Problem is the last-minute effort was evidently too late—coming several days after Graham’s last interviews with the Jaguars and the announcement of Liam Coen as head coach,” wrote Anderson. “My understanding is that Graham was not going back on his word to Las Vegas despite some late night attempts, per sources.”

Overall, the Raiders’ defense under Graham would rank 25th in scoring, that unit did improve down the stretch, ranking sixth in that category from Week 15 on.

Anderson adds that Graham’s experience in the NFL as a defensive coordinator could have taken a “tremendous weight off of (Liam) Coen’s shoulders as a rookie head coach.”

Campanile will be a first time defensive coordinator at the NFL level but has a coaching background where he’s operated in a wide-variety of systems. The Green Bay run defense and linebacker unit also thrived in 2024 with Campanile in charge of those units.

“Anthony Campanile represents exactly what we want to be as a defensive unit and football team,” Head coach Liam Coen said. “He brings an aggressive defensive mindset and a system that is adaptable to our players and allows them to play fast and physical.”