DEL RIO DEPARTS PARIS AFTER TWO SEASONS
Jack Del Rio has stepped down as head coach of the Paris Musketeers following the completion of his two-year contract with the French franchise.
Paris announced the departure on Sunday, thanking the former Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders head coach for his contribution to the organisation, its players and the development of American football in the French capital.
“Upon the conclusion of his two-year contract, Jack Del Rio will step down as head coach of the Paris Musketeers,” the team said. “We extend our deepest gratitude to Jack for everything he has brought to our organisation, our players and the sport of American football in Paris.”
The wording presents Del Rio’s exit as the conclusion of his existing agreement rather than a dismissal. No successor has yet been announced, while the 63-year-old has not confirmed whether he intends to pursue another coaching position. Del Rio arrived in Paris before the 2025 season in one of the most eye-catching coaching appointments in recent European football history. He inherited a Musketeers team that had reached the European League of Football semi-finals under Marc Mattioli and guided it to a 7–5 record during his first campaign. His defense allowed fewer than 15 points per game during the 2025 regular season, but Paris were eliminated from the playoffs following an overtime defeat against the Vienna Vikings.
Del Rio returned when the Musketeers became one of the franchises that left the ELF for the newly-created European Football Alliance ahead of 2026. The move placed Paris alongside former ELF rivals Frankfurt Galaxy, Munich Ravens, Nordic Storm, Prague Lions and Raiders Tirol in the EFA’s inaugural season, and they found consistency difficult to establish during their first campaign. They finished the regular season 4–7 but still secured a semi-final place, only for their championship ambitions to end in a 45–6 defeat against Nordic Storm in Frankfurt.
That result proved to be Del Rio’s final game in charge. The former NFL linebacker brought extensive experience to a comparatively young organisation, having subsequently spent nine seasons as an NFL head coach with Jacksonville and Oakland, leading the Jaguars to two playoff appearances and taking the Raiders to a 12–4 record in 2016. He also served as defensive coordinator with Carolina, Denver and Washington, having previously played 11 NFL seasons for five teams.
His appointment gave the Musketeers a recognisable figure at a time when European football was competing for credibility, commercial support and attention beyond its established audience, and also strengthened the franchise’s relationship with the New Orleans Saints. Paris announced a strategic partnership with the NFL club in 2025, with Del Rio and his wife, Linda, credited by the Musketeers for helping build the connection between the two organisations.
His departure now leaves Paris with an important decision during a period of continuing change across the European game. The Musketeers retained their place among the EFA’s leading four teams despite a losing record, but the margin of their semi-final defeat illustrated the distance between Paris and the competition’s strongest sides. The appointment of a successor will determine whether the franchise seeks another established American coach or entrusts the rebuilding process to someone more closely connected to European football.