Tom Coughlin is back in the mix for Canton.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Thursday that the former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach is one of five coaching nominees still under consideration for the Class of 2027. Coughlin made the cut from an original pool of 14 and now sits alongside Bill Belichick, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan.
The next step comes on November 17, when the Hall’s Coach Subcommittee will meet virtually and choose one candidate to move on to the final stage of the process. That coach will join 13 modern-era players and one contributor on the ballot for the Class of 2027.
Coughlin’s case is built on more than longevity. His 20-year run as an NFL head coach included a defining stretch in Jacksonville, where he was hired in 1994 as the franchise’s first head coach, a year before the Jaguars played their inaugural season. He guided the team to four straight playoff trips from 1996 through 1999, won two division titles and took Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game twice.
That early Jaguars surge included one of the most memorable runs in team history. In just their second season, Jacksonville knocked off the Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos on the road before losing to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. The Jaguars got back to the conference title game after the 1999 season, when they finished with a franchise-best 14-2 record.
During his eight seasons in Jacksonville, Coughlin went 68-60 in the regular season and helped shape the foundation of the franchise with players such as Tony Boselli, Fred Taylor, Mark Brunell and Jimmy Smith.
He later took over the New York Giants from 2004 through 2015 and delivered Super Bowl wins over the Patriots after the 2007 and 2011 seasons. Over his full NFL head-coaching career, Coughlin finished 182-157, including postseason games.
Jacksonville formally honored him with induction into the Pride of the Jaguars in 2024, but the Hall of Fame path is still a crowded one. Every coach on this year’s shortlist reached the same stage for the Class of 2026, and Belichick was the one chosen as the coaching finalist before falling short of induction in a decision that sparked plenty of controversy. Belichick, who won six Super Bowls with New England, is back in the race with Coughlin for the lone coaching finalist spot.
The Class of 2027 will be revealed during NFL Honors in February, ahead of Super Bowl LXI, with enshrinement set for August in Canton, Ohio.
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