Grant Udinski, Jaguars Reportedly Agree to New OC Contract amid Rumors on Browns, Bills HC Jobs

Grant Udinski is removing his name from consideration in the Cleveland Browns' coaching search after agreeing to a new contract with his current team, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.

Garafolo reported Udinski is set to return to the Jacksonville Jaguars as their offensive coordinator. However, his extension doesn't preclude him from leaving for the Buffalo Bills if they hire him as their head coach.

The Bills held a formal interview on Sunday.

There's a case for striking while the iron is hot when a fast-rising assistant coach is garnering interest around the league. Those opportunities may not be there forever.

Bobby Slowik made the same choice Udinski did when he spurned outside suitors and signed a new deal with the Houston Texans. A year later, he was out of a job entirely after the Texans offense badly underperformed in 2024.

Considering he only turned 30 in January, Udinski can nonetheless be a little selective about his next step. He has time to keep gaining experience on the sideline, and re-upping with Jacksonville might set the stage for him to become a play-caller for the first time.

Perhaps the Browns were going in a different direction anyway. Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot reported they appeared to be zeroing in on Udinski or Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase. Now, the runway is clear for Scheelhaase.

But the optics are never great when a finalist backs out so close to the finish line.

Not to mention, this has been a trend for Cleveland during the current hiring cycle.

The general wisdom is that the NFL only has 32 head-coaching jobs, and a handful of those are actually available in a given offseason. Even a perpetually dysfunctional franchise can wind up with a strong coach thanks to the scarcity of vacancies.

The Browns are putting that theory to the test.