Longtime NFL coach Jack Del Rio is taking his talents overseas to become the head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football.
Del Rio immediately becomes the highest profile coach in the league, usurping fellow former NFL head coach Jim Tomsula.
Del Rio was most recently a senior advisor for the University of Wisconsin football team, with his last NFL job ending in 2023 as the Washington Commanders defensive coordinator.
This will be Del Rio’s third stint as a head coach of a professional team, with him at the helm of the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 through 2011 and the then-Oakland Raiders from 2015-17.
Del Rio began his NFL coaching career in 1997 and consistently had a place on an NFL sideline until his Oakland firing in 2017.
Ron Rivera hired Del Rio to Washington in 2020, with him being fired by the franchise after a 45-10 loss to the Cowboys in 2023. The Commanders’ current resurgence has highlighted in part what the previous staff failed to cultivate.
Jack Del Rio was named the head coach of the Paris Musketeers in a European football league
Del Rio was a head coach in the NFL twice, leading the Jaguars and Raiders for 12 years total
Now, in Europe, Del Rio gets to start anew in the upstart league.
‘I’m looking forward to working with this group of men,’ said Del Rio in a press release. ‘We will teach, develop, and compete.’
Paris is one of 16 teams in the ELF, with teams in nine countries, with Germany hosting seven of the league’s franchises.
Tomsula leads the two-time defending champion Rhein Fire.
A few Americans play for each team, while many athletes representing the home country of each franchise are also involved.
