The Cleveland Browns became the second team to fill their head coaching vacancy this offseason with the hire of Hue Jackson, the former offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Browns' hire comes five days after the Miami Dolphins hired former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase as their head coach.
The Jackson hire, first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, fills the vacancy created when the Browns fired head coach Mike Pettine on January 3, hours after the end of the Browns'2015 regular season. Cleveland finished the season 3-13 and clinching the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Jackson previously served as the head coach for the Oakland Raiders, leading the team to an 8-8 record in 2011 before being fired after the one year. He then spent a season as the secondary coach for the Bengals before moving to the running backs coach for the team in 2013 and the offensive coordinator for 2014 and 2015.
The New York Giants were scheduled to meet with Jackson on Thursday. He had previously interviewed with the San Francisco 49ers and had an interview scheduled with Miami before the team hired Gase. Jackson was considered one of the top targets this offseason for a head coaching position.