Jack Del Rio is heading across the pond.
The Paris Musketeers of the European League of Football (ELF) announced Friday that longtime NFL coach Del Rio has been hired as the second head coach in franchise history.
“I’m looking forward to working with this group of men,” Del Rio said in a statement. “We will teach, develop and compete.”
The Musketeers are one of 16 teams competing in the ELF, which launched in 2021 and features teams from Germany, Austria, Spain, Poland, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, France, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
Paris joined the league in 2023 and were coached by Marc Mattioli, a former assistant at Stanford and Vanderbilt. The Musketeers went 6–6 in their inaugural season and 10–2 in ’24, falling to the top-seeded Vienna Vikings in the playoff semifinals.
Mattioli left his role as the Musketeers’ head coach after landing the defensive coordinator job at Kennesaw State.
Del Rio, a third-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in 1985, played 11 seasons as a linebacker in the NFL. His coaching career began two years after he retired from his playing days, serving as the Saints’ strength and conditioning coach and working his way up until he was hired as the second coach in Jacksonville Jaguars franchise history in 2003.
Over 12 years as an NFL head coach—2003 to ’11 in Jacksonville and 2015 to ’17 with the Oakland Raiders—Del Rio compiled a 93–94 record. He made the playoffs just three times and won one playoff game after the ’07 season.
Del Rio most recently worked as the Washington Commanders’ defensive coordinator from 2020 to ’23 under coach Ron Rivera.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Coach Del Rio to Paris,” Musketeers CEO John McKeon said in a statement. “His committment to excellence and his passion for teaching the game will build upon the tone and culture that was set by our first coach, Marc Mattioli. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Musketeers family and continue building our winning tradition.”
Del Rio will make his ELF debut May 17 when the Musketeers open the 2025 season against the Rhein Fire.
