Jacksonville Jaguars, old friend Tom Coughlin hire Perry Fewell as secondary coach

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Perry Fewell began 2017 unemployed, but all he needed was a call from an old friend.

He rebounded quickly from his Washington Redskins release from secondary coach duties. On Saturday, he was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars for the same job.

Fewell, 54, was hired by the Redskins in 2015 and fired Jan. 5. He has a connection with the Jaguars through former coach Tom Coughlin. Coughlin was hired on Jan. 9 as the team's executive vice president of football operations. The duo worked together on the New York Giants from 2010 to 2013, when Fewell served as a defensive coordinator. He was the Jaguars' defensive backs coach from 1998 to 2002, when Coughlin coached the team. Fewell served as the Buffalo Bills' interim coach in 2009, posting a 3-4 record.

"Perry Fewell was a defensive coordinator for a Super Bowl winning team and is a tremendous addition to our coaching staff, as he is one of the premier secondary coaches in this league," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said in a release. "We are excited for Perry to return to where he made his NFL coaching debut 19 years ago and cannot wait for him to get on the field with our guys and help mold our young secondary into a consistent, league-leading group. Having played in the secondary himself, and experiencing success at the highest level as a secondary coach, I believe our defensive backs will quickly buy into Perry's methodologies and teachings and help solidify the back end of our defense."

The Redskins allowed the sixth-most passing yards per game in the NFC in 2016, while the Jaguars allowed the third-fewest passing yards per game in the AFC.

"Perry Fewell has coached defensive backs and been a coordinator in the NFL, and he brings the experience of having been in several defensive systems," Coughlin said in a release. "He was the defensive coordinator for a Giants Super Bowl-champion team and has worked with some of the league's best defensive players. He will be a great fit for our defense and for what we want to accomplish."

The Jaguars also named Todd Wash its defensive coordinator Saturday.