Veteran NFL coach Jack Del Rio is taking his talents overseas to become the head coach of the Paris Musketeers of the European Football League.
Del Rio immediately becomes the highest-profile coach in the league, usurping former NFL head coach Jim Tomsula.
Del Rio was most recently a senior advisor for the University of Wisconsin football team, and his last NFL job ended in 2023 as defensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders.
This will be Del Rio's third stint as the head coach of a professional team, with him leading the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2003 to 2011 and the then-Oakland Raiders from 2015-17.
Del Rio began his NFL coaching career in 1997 and consistently had a spot on the NFL bench until his dismissal from Oakland in 2017.
Ron Rivera hired Del Rio to Washington in 2020, and the franchise fired him 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 named coach of the Paris Musketeers in a European soccer league
Del Rio was a two-time NFL head coach, leading the Jaguars and Raiders for 12 years total.
Now, in Europe, Del Río is starting over in the upstart league.
“I am looking 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 ELF teams, with teams in nine countries, and Germany is home to seven of the league's franchises.
Tomsula leads two-time defending champion Rhein Fire.
A few Americans play for each team, while many athletes representing each franchise's home country also participate.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Coach Del Rio to Paris,” Musketeers CEO John McKeon said in a press release. “His commitment to excellence and passion for teaching the game will build on the tone and culture that our first coach, Marc Mattoli, established.”
“We couldn't be more excited to welcome him to the Musketeers family and continue building on our winning tradition.”
The Musketeers and Fire open the season against each other on May 17.