Mark Brunell, American football player and coach
Mark Allen Brunell (born September 17, 1970) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played in the NFL for nineteen seasons and is best known for his nine seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, whom he led to the franchise's first playoff appearances between 1996 and 1999. For his accomplishments in Jacksonville, he was inducted to the Pride of the Jaguars in 2013.
Brunell played college football at Washington and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. After two seasons, Brunell was traded to the expansion Jaguars for their inaugural 1995 season. Within their second season, he helped the team obtain the franchise's first winning record, playoff berth, postseason victories, and appearance in the AFC Championship Game. Brunell went on to guide Jacksonville to four consecutive playoff runs within their first five seasons, the first NFL expansion team to do so, and clinched the franchise's first division title in 1999 en route to a second AFC Championship appearance. All three of his Pro Bowl selections were with the Jaguars.
Following his 2004 departure from Jacksonville, Brunell played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and New York Jets until retiring in 2011. With the Saints, he was part of the team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV, where he served as a backup and holder. Since retiring, he has pursued a coaching career and became the Lions' quarterbacks coach in 2021.