Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars exit just became a lot more expensive for him and a lot cheaper for the Jaguars. The former Ohio State Buckeyes coach has lost an estimated $36 million after recent developments.
On3 reported that Meyer lost his arbitration challenge over the 2021 firing. Jacksonville will not have to pay the former coach the remainder of the deal he signed before his brief NFL stint collapsed.
The ruling closes one of the last major financial overhangs from a tenure that ended after 13 games.
“I am bitterly disappointed to arrive at the conclusion that an immediate change is imperative for everyone,” owner Shad Khan said in the December 2021 statement. “I informed Urban of the change this evening. Regaining our trust and respect was essential. Regrettably, it did not happen.”
Meyer had pushed back on the Jaguars’ decision to fire him “with cause”. It protected the team from paying the remaining years of his contract. Jacksonville intended not to pay the remaining balance of the deal after the firing. He was going to make $9 million per year for the remaining four years of his contract.
On3’s latest report says the arbitration ruling sided with the franchise.
“An independent arbitrator conducted interviews with Meyer,” Brett McMurphy of On3 wrote. “Along with several former and current Jags players and coaches, including long snapper Ross Matiscik, punter Logan Cooke, former kicker Josh Lambo and former general manager Trent Baalke, a source said.”
That leaves Meyer without a payout tied to one of the most abrupt and turbulent coaching exits in modern NFL history.
Jacksonville’s Case was Built on More Than Losses
GettyUrban Meyer’s last game as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ head coach.
Meyer’s 2-11 record was only part of the story. The Jaguars’ public explanation made clear the breakup was about conduct and trust, not just results. Khan’s statement followed weeks of scrutiny over off-field issues, including the viral Columbus video. That fueled criticism of Meyer’s judgment and leadership.
The video showed Meyer at a restaurant in a compromising position, where a woman who was identified as not his wife was rubbing off and dancing close to him.
“I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction,” Meyer said later. “Just stupid, and so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. Should not have myself in that kind of position.”
The team’s position was that the problems had gone beyond football and had damaged the culture Meyer was supposed to fix.
The fallout also included one of the most damaging allegations of Meyer’s short NFL run. Former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo said Meyer kicked him during practice and later told him, “I’m the head ball coach, I’ll kick you whenever the f*** I want.”
Meyer denied Lambo’s account, but the episode became part of the broader case against his tenure. The NFL also fined Meyer $100,000 and the Jaguars $200,000 earlier that year for a no-contact OTA violation. It felt like Jacksonville spent most of 2021 trying to manage distractions instead of building a team.
Meyer’s College Football Profile Keeps Growing
GettyUrban Meyer has settled in well at his new job as a Fox Sports announcer.
Even with the NFL chapter ending in legal and reputational damage, Meyer’s standing in college football remains secure. In January 2025, he was selected for the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame class, with his career built on a 187-32 record across Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and Ohio State.
In November 2025, Florida said Meyer would be inducted into the school’s Ring of Honor during the 2026 season, another marker of how strongly his championship years still resonate in Gainesville. Also, in 2026, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis named Meyer to the board of trustees at New College in Sarasota, where he currently serves as a FOX Sports analyst and remains a prominent voice around the sport even if he has ruled out a return to coaching.
The arbitration ruling does not erase what happened in Jacksonville, but it does put a price tag on it. Meyer’s NFL tenure now stands as a costly failure for the coach and a rare financial win for a franchise that spent years trying to move past it.
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