Jaguars hire Keenan McCardell as WRs coach

A familiar face has earned himself a spot on the new-look Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff.

Former wideout Keenan McCardell, who played six seasons with the Jaguars from 1996-2001, has been hired to coach the team's receivers, the team announced Friday.

"We all understand what Keenan means to this organization and we are excited to welcome him home to Jacksonville, as he'll oversee the growth and consistent improvement of our receiving corps," executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin said in a statement. "I had the pleasure of coaching Keenan for six seasons and understand his passion for the game of football and his burning desire to win."

News of the potential move came earlier in the day, when a report from Hays Carlyon of 1010XL indicated that McCardell was in town for an interview.

McCardell didn't wait long before making the transition to coaching after playing the final season of a 17-year career in 2007, spending two years with the Washington Redskins receivers from 2010-2011 and later taking on the same role at Maryland from 2014-2015.

His stay in Jacksonville, which came during Coughlin's time as head coach, was far and away the most productive stretch of McCardell's career.

With 883 receptions for 11,373 yards and 63 touchdowns across 95 regular-season appearances, the UNLV product sits second only to Jimmy Smith among franchise leaders in all major receiving categories.