Urban Meyer’s short and turbulent run in Jacksonville just ended with one more loss for the former Jaguars head coach. An arbitrator has ruled that Meyer will not collect the roughly $30 million left on his contract when the team fired him in 2021, siding with the franchise’s decision that he was dismissed "with cause." The outcome means the Jaguars do not owe him the balance of his reported multiyear deal and finally closes out a long-running grievance that lingered long after Meyer’s 13-game tenure.
Arbitrator Sides With Jaguars
Brett McMurphy first reported the arbitration result for On3. His report notes that an independent arbitrator rejected Meyer’s claim and in the process spared Jacksonville more than $30 million in unpaid salary and buyout money that the former coach had been seeking.
According to Front Office Sports, the ruling confirms that the Jaguars will not have to pay out the remainder of the reported four-year, $36 million contract Meyer signed when he was hired in January 2021. The outlet reports that the hearing dug into whether a series of off-field incidents added up to the contractual standard for termination "with cause."
The Allegations That Drove The Case
Meyer was dismissed 13 games into Jacksonville’s 2021 season after a 2–11 start and a steady drumbeat of controversies that regularly grabbed national attention. As News4JAX reported, owner Shad Khan moved to fire Meyer shortly after the Tampa Bay Times ran an interview in which former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo alleged that Meyer kicked him during a preseason warmup.
Lambo’s account, first detailed by Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud and later summarized by NBC Sports, included his claim that he told Meyer, "Don't you ever f***ing kick me again." NBC’s coverage also notes that Lambo later sued the team over the incident and that a Florida judge ultimately dismissed the lawsuit.
Per Front Office Sports, the arbitrator heard from Meyer along with several former Jaguars players and executives, including Lambo, long snapper Ross Matiscik, punter Logan Cooke and former general manager Trent Baalke. Their involvement suggests the Lambo episode sat at the center of Jacksonville’s argument, while the panel also evaluated a broader pattern of conduct in deciding that the firing met the "with cause" threshold.
What Comes Next
Legal analysts told NBC Sports that Meyer still has the option to try to challenge the arbitration outcome in civil court, although past attempts to overturn NFL related arbitration decisions have rarely gone well for coaches or players. ProFootballTalk’s analysis points out that arbitration tends to favor teams, so Meyer and his attorneys now have to decide whether any further fight is worth the expense and long odds.
On the field, Jacksonville has already turned the page. The Jaguars went 13–4 and captured the AFC South title in 2025 under first-year head coach Liam Coen, resetting expectations around the franchise. As outlined by Sports Illustrated, the arbitration ruling simply closes the legal file while the team concentrates on building its future around quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
