Jaguars Come Out on Top in $30 Million Battle With Urban Meyer

It's been more than five years since Urban Meyer was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And in that time, the two sides have been locked in an arbitration battle over Meyer's 2021 firing with more than $30 million at stake.

But on Monday, Jacksonville received some good news when an arbitrator sided with the team and Meyer lost his bid to be awarded the rest of his NFL salary, according to On3's Brett McMurphy.

"Meyer challenged the ‘with cause' firing, sending the dispute to arbitration," McMurphy wrote. "If successful, Meyer could have received the remainder of his contract. However, an individual arbitrator ruled in the Jags' favor, so the club will not have to pay Meyer for the remaining four years of his contract, estimated at as much as $36 million.

"An independent arbitrator conducted interviews with Meyer, 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."

Meyer didn't even make it through the first year of his five-year, $45 million contract with the Jaguars back in 2021 before being fired with cause 13 games into the season. His Jaguars tenure was riddled with controversy.

Meyer was fined $100,000 and the team $200,000 for violating NFL rules for excessive contact during offseason OTAs.

In October, a video surfaced on social media of Meyer in a night club in Columbus, Ohio, seemingly inappropriately touching a woman who was not his wife. Meyer issued a public apology, and Jags owner Shad Khan labeled Meyer's behavior inexcusable, stating he had work to do to earn back the trust of the team.

Two month later, former Jags kicker Josh Lambo came out with allegations that Meyer had physically abused him while he was with the team. Meyer was fired not long after Lambo's accusations.

Losing the arbitration case doesn't mean much in the scheme of things for Meyer. The three-time national champion has quite a lucrative deal with Fox Sports.

Meyer's exact salary isn't known, but it's estimated he earns between $5 million and $7 million as a college football analyst where he makes guest appearances on several shows including "Big Noon Kickoff."

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This story was originally published May 18, 2026 at 4:03 PM.