A question is lingering over the Jacksonville Jaguars: How attractive would the job openings be if owner Shad Khan decides to fire coach Doug Pederson and/or general manager Trent Baalke?
These positions could be some of the best in the NFL, especially if Khan makes changes for the second time in his 14 years as owner.
The Jaguars (4-12) have a young quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, with a lot of potential, a rising star at wide receiver, Brian Thomas Jr., and a few strong defensive players like cornerback Tyson Campbell and pass rushers Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker.
They also have a new practice facility, a $1.4 billion stadium renovation planned, and a hands-off owner who is patient and has plenty of money.
The team will have a top-10 draft pick in April, around $50 million in salary cap space for 2025, play in one of the NFL’s weakest divisions (AFC South), and be in a state with no income tax and lots of sunshine. They are also 3-9 in one-score games, meaning they could be closer to success than it seems, especially after close losses to Buffalo and Detroit by a combined 83 points.
These are all positive factors.
However, Khan is committed to having the Jaguars play at least one home game every year in London, even though this might hurt the team’s competitiveness. The team will also play home games in 2026 in a smaller stadium and spend all of 2027 away from Jacksonville.
On top of that, the roster has several aging veterans, like defensive end Arik Armstead, tight end Evan Engram, receiver Christian Kirk, linebacker Foye Oluokun, center Mitch Morse, and guard Brandon Scherff, with no clear identity. There is also no guarantee that Lawrence will become more than an above-average starter.
So, there are some negatives as well.
Khan has not revealed his plans for after the season, which ends Sunday at Indianapolis (7-9). However, he was noticeably absent from the locker room after a 20-13 win over division rival Tennessee on Sunday. He has distanced himself from coaches and GMs before making firings.
Pederson seems to have accepted that his future is uncertain and spoke Monday about how tough the season has been.
“To look back now and see where we are and the struggles we’ve had, this is disappointing,” Pederson said. “Everybody’s disappointed, everybody feels it. Obviously, I’m the one in charge of it.”
“I might take it harder than others because I feel like that, if you’re going to put your hands on something, you want it to be positive, you want it to be better than when you started. Three years in, I still feel like we’ve created something here that is positive, and it is heading in the right direction.”
He also suggested a way forward. “Continuity is the only way that you can kind of get it fixed,” he said.
