Former Minnesota Vikings coach and current ESPN studio analyst Dennis Green on Friday withdrew from consideration for the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching vacancy.

Green, arguably the most attractive candidate available in terms of his track record, met Tuesday in Dallas with Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver and vice president Paul Vance. Although the session is said to have gone well, both the team's timetable and a possible difference over how the operation would be structured in the wake of coach Tom Coughlin's dismissal probably made Green a long shot, sources said.

Also, Green had not been contacted by Weaver or any other Jaguars official since the initial meeting. Green also discussed at least twice in recent weeks the Dallas Cowboys job with owner Jerry Jones but that post, of course, was awarded to Bill Parcells.

"It was a good exchange of ideas and information," agent Gary O'Hagan said of Green's meeting with Jaguars management. "But at this point, Denny has respectfully asked to not be considered for the position. At this point, he will just continue to consider and explore other options."

The only other known candidate to have interviewed for the Jacksonville opening is University of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who met Wednesday with Weaver. The team seems to be focusing its efforts more on filling a key front office position that is expected to have general manager-type responsibility.

In his 10-season Vikings tenure, Green posted a 101-70 record and he took Minnesota to the playoffs in all but two years. He departed the Vikings with one game remaining in the 2001 season after an internal struggle with owner Red McCombs.

Were there more openings in the league this offseason, Green certainly would be a prime candidate. The dearth of vacancies, and his decision not to pursue the Cincinnati Bengals job, means it is likely that Green will not be back in the NFL for the 2003 campaign.

Green strongly pursued the Jacksonville job at first, suggesting on ESPN broadcasts that he felt he could bring quick success, and also work within the framework Weaver planned to establish. But it apparently became more obvious in recent days that Green might not be able to completely reconcile the direction Weaver was headed.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.