Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio makes shock career move

Jack Del Rio, a veteran NFL coach, takes his talents abroad to become head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football.

Del Rio immediately becomes the highest profile coach in the league, taking over for former NFL head coach Jim Tomsula.

Del Rio most recently served as a senior adviser for the University of Wisconsin football team, and his last NFL job ended in 2023 as the defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders.

This will be Del Rio’s third stint as head coach of a professional team, having led the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2011 and the then-Oakland Raiders from 2015 to 2017.

Del Rio began his NFL coaching career in 1997 and was consistently on the NFL sideline until his firing in Oakland in 2017.

Ron Rivera hired Del Rio from Washington in 2020, where he was fired by the franchise after a 45-10 loss to the Cowboys in 2023. The Commanders’ current resurgence has partly highlighted what the previous staff failed to cultivate.

Jack Del Rio was named head coach of the Paris Musketeers in a European football competition

Del Rio was a two-time head coach in the NFL and led the Jaguars and Raiders for a total of 12 years

Del Rio was a two-time head coach in the NFL and led the Jaguars and Raiders for a total of 12 years

Now Del Rio can start again in Europe in the upstart competition.

“I look forward to working with this group of men,” Del Rio said in a press release. ‘We will teach, develop and compete.’

Paris is one of 16 teams in the ELF, with teams in nine countries, while Germany hosts seven of the league’s franchises.

Tomsula leads the two-time defending champion Rhein Fire.

A few Americans play for each team, while also involving many athletes representing each franchise’s home country.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Coach Del Rio to Paris,” said Musketeers CEO John McKeon via a press release. “His commitment to excellence and his passion for teaching the game will build on the tone and culture set by our first coach, Marc Mattoli.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Musketeers family and continue to build on our winning tradition.”

The Musketeers and the Vuur open the season against each other on May 17.