No one knows for sure what Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan will do after the team has gone through its worst stretch of football in franchise history.
Not general manager Trent Baalke. Not coach Doug Pederson. Not even those who are close to Khan.
The 74-year-old Khan tends to keep his thoughts private. He doesn’t react quickly to losses, and he doesn’t look for attention when things are going well. He didn’t even celebrate when the Jaguars were approved for a $1.4 billion stadium renovation last month.
“Actions speak louder than words, and I think we’re going to have some real action,” Khan said after the NFL owners approved the stadium renovation, which will keep the Jaguars in Jacksonville for another 30 years.
Now, Khan has more decisions to make before the stadium construction begins.
The Jaguars (2-9) are on a bye week, having lost four in a row and 14 of their last 17 games. The last three losses have been especially bad for Baalke and Pederson, and they’ve probably caught Khan’s attention.
Jacksonville allowed the fewest yards (528) and gave up the most yards (1,494) over a three-game stretch in team history, with losses to Green Bay, Minnesota, and Detroit.
The 52-6 loss to the Lions last Sunday was the kind of performance that often leads to changes, especially as the season is nearing its end. No one would have been shocked if Khan decided to fire Pederson, Baalke, or both.
But Khan stayed quiet and didn’t make any changes, which isn’t surprising since he rarely fires coaches early in the season. The only time he fired a coach before December was Urban Meyer in 2021, and that came with serious legal issues.
Still, it’s becoming harder to defend Pederson and Baalke.
Pederson has struggled to develop quarterback Trevor Lawrence and create a clear identity for the team. He kept offensive play-calling duties with offensive coordinator Press Taylor, even though Khan had expressed his desire for Pederson to take over the play-calling.
Pederson also didn’t address the defensive issues that worsened under new coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Pederson’s record is 21-26 in his third season with the team. That’s a much better record than Baalke’s, who has a 25-55 record since joining the Jaguars as assistant GM in 2020.
Baalke’s draft results have been mixed. He made good picks with Lawrence, defensive end Travon Walker, right tackle Anton Walker, and Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round.
But he also missed on first-round pick Devin Lloyd and several other key picks, including offensive tackle Walker Little, safety Andre Cisco, center Luke Fortner, linebacker Chad Muma, and defensive tackle Maason Smith.
His free-agent signings have also been hit or miss, with the most recent class being one of the least productive in team history. The Jaguars spent more than $150 million, with around $90 million guaranteed, on seven free agents in March.
This group included receiver Gabe Davis (who is out for the season), cornerback Ronald Darby (who has been targeted often by opposing offenses), and defensive lineman Arik Armstead (who has only 20 tackles and one sack).
The Pederson-Baalke duo looked promising when the Jaguars made the playoffs in their first season together, and they started 8-3 in 2023. But the team faltered down the stretch, missing the postseason after spending two months at the top of the AFC South.
Getting Lawrence healthy and revamping the defense were supposed to improve the team, but neither of those things worked as planned.
Adding to the awkwardness, Khan had said this was “the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars ever” just before training camp started. Khan doesn’t spend much time around the team, so it’s likely he was repeating what he was told by others inside the organization.
Pederson quickly distanced himself from that statement.
“No, no, no,” Pederson said when asked if he had told Khan that. “We talk a lot, preseason, offseason. I mean, going into the season, you’ve got high expectations, obviously, for your football team, as you should. Everybody does.”
Khan had said “winning now” was the goal after committing nearly half a billion dollars to sign Lawrence, pass rusher Josh Hines-Allen, and cornerback Tyson Campbell to long-term deals. It was the most expensive stretch of team building in the Jaguars’ 30-year history.
But Khan hasn’t seen much return on that investment.
The Jaguars are now set to have their 10th losing season in Khan’s 13 years as owner.
It may be time for a major change, something Khan has only done once during his time as owner. Is it a talent problem? A coaching issue? Khan needs to figure that out. What he decides to do, and when, is still uncertain.
