Column: Shad Khan’s Biggest Offseason Yet Is Fueled by His Greatest Mistakes
Shad Khan wouldn't have to change if there wasn't a problem.
The Jaguars wouldn't have to rework their structure of power yet again if things were running smoothly at TIAA Bank Field in recent years.
Jacksonville wouldn't have finished with its only one-win season in team history if the Jaguars, and Khan, hadn't made mistakes.
Khan has a chance to remedy his past mistakes in 2021. To say this is the most significant offseason of his near-decade tenure as the Jaguars' owner would be the football understatement of the century. But the only reason it is so important is because of Khan's past missteps and the missteps of those he entrusted with his franchise.
Khan has a chance to create a rare synergy between the general manager, head coach, and quarterback in 2021. His team has the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in team history, and it has it in the same year there is a generational quarterback prospect worth taking No. 1 overall.
They are flush with other draft picks (11 in total) and cap space. The Jaguars are also projected to have the most amount of cap space in the NFL. Throw in a plethora of encouraging young players on both sides of the ball, and the Jaguars are a prime destination.
But for it to remain a prime destination, for it to come close to reaching its potential, Jacksonville and Khan must never forget how they got here and why things went so wrong.
Khan alluded to Jacksonville's dysfunctional issues over the past few years when he spoke on Monday. His most telling talking point was when he talked about roster control and a desire to be more involved in the talks of which major players are coming to the team and which are leaving.
Considering the major free agency flops (Nick Foles, Blake Bortles), failed negotiations (Yannick Ngakoue, Allen Robinson), and trading of stars (Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell), then it isn't hard to read between the lines.
"I think I can also share with you that last season, especially after Tom [Coughlin]’s departure, he had the roster control, so I kept the roster control. The candidates, the general manager candidates, I’ve been talking to them, [I told them that] for the immediate future I’m going to keep the roster control. I want the coach to know that also," Khan said on Monday.
"It’s not really [about] who’s coming in, but it’s to really have a rhythm that everybody’s aligned on who might be leaving the team and who might be coming in, at least for the immediate future. Those are some of nuances that I want to make sure that everybody’s on board with because I think it’s really important here that we don’t head off in a wrong direction with an imbalance in power, for lack of a better word. So I hope that kind of explains some of the logic.”
Khan trusted general manager Dave Caldwell from 2013-2016 to build his team. From 2017-2019, it was Tom Coughlin who held all the power. Because of his unwavering trust and willingness to delegate, the Jaguars plummeted into the cellar of the NFL.
Caldwell made numerous mistakes as general manager, including failed free agency classes, several draft busts in the first round, and his inability to find a quarterback or field an offensive line.
Coughlin, meanwhile, did more damage to the Jaguars franchise than many realize. He was a heavy-handed commander who created a toxic environment due to his inability to follow NFL bargaining rules when it came to fines. The NFL Players Association even warned players of signing with the Jaguars.
Due to his management style, several of Jacksonville's most important players had their relationships with the team corrode. A new start was needed, which is what Khan began when he fired Coughlin in December 2019.
But the work to fix what had been broken wouldn't be easy. It would require even more tough decisions related to the salary cap.
Jacksonville found one year of success under their old model of leadership, a 10-6 season in 2017 in which everything fell perfectly into place. But otherwise, Khan's mistake of letting Coughlin and others run his team without him having an authoritative role was one that has haunted the Jaguars for the last three-plus years.
Coughlin is the one who ran off players and made numerous poor personnel decisions. Caldwell is the one who couldn't figure out how to draft in the top-5. But Khan is who hired and enabled them. As a result, any issues with the Jaguars franchise must fall directly at his feet.
Khan is aware of this, too. It is why he placed such an emphasis on cohesiveness and his own increased when he spoke on Monday.
“The roster control is [because] you don’t want players going in and out or contracts given until you’re aware of that. So striking the balance between delegation and abdication, I think, is an important point," Khan said. "Certainly, I found that in the last 15 months, having that necessitates a conversation, you’re part of the conversation with the GM and the head coach. So being part of that here for the immediate future I think is important to me.”
Khan began to reverse course last December. Firing Coughlin changed the power structure, with the head coach and general manager now reporting to Khan instead of Coughlin.
Despite this change, the Jaguars went 1-15 in 2020. The damage had already been done. Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone was fired, and Khan entered the most important offseason of his ownership.
Khan and the Jaguars are in the situation now due to the biggest mistakes of his tenure. Now, Khan will have to take a different approach to ensure the Jaguars don't waste the greatest opportunity they have ever had in front of them.
The Jaguars and Khan are keenly aware of the significance of this offseason. Based on Khan's comments on Monday, he is also keenly aware that the Jaguars are only in this situation to begin with because of self-inflicted wounds.
