BREAKING: Jaguars Owner Shad Khan Expressing Flexibility to HC Candidates

Is Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan truly open to potentially changing roles for GM Trent Baalke?

Oct 30, 2022; London, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan aka Shahid Khan reacts during an NFL International Series game against the Denver Broncos at Wembley Stadium. The Broncos defeated the Jaguars 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars' search for their next head coach is expected to shift into an extra gear this week, and there some aspects of their search are becoming clearer as it marches on.

Among those aspects is how Jaguars owner Shad Khan is approaching the situation surrounding general manager Trent Baalke. Khan retained Baalke as general manager last week after firing former head coach Doug Pederson, but the question always remained if this was a full-on commitment to Baalke for 2025.

Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer floated out that Khan has expressed flexibility about Baalke and his role when it comes to speaking to coaching candidates, something that Khan himself has admitted he would be open to.

"Jaguars owner Shad Khan has expressed some flexibility to coaching candidates on his decision to retain GM Trent Baalke. And my read on that is this: If a coach has the leverage to get what he wants from the team, then Khan could still pull the plug on Baalke," Breer said.

Speaking to local media last Monday, Khan was asked if he would consider the wishes of a coaching candidate who wanted to restructure the front office, and he did not shy away from the idea.

“My response would be how would you improve it and then if it is credible, you want to do it. How does the structure work?" Khan said.

"I want to make sure that this isn’t about ego or power or something more sinister quite frankly. There have been some of those elements that I have found in my experience in the NFL. If it’s a legit effort to get better, then everything should be on the table.”

It remains to be seen if any coaching candidates have actually expressed such a desire to Khan, though the general sense around the NFL is that the Jaguars' job would be more desirable than it already is if the Jaguars were willing to change the front office set up and Baalke's role.

It is already considered among the top jobs on the market, but answering the seemingly never-ending questions about Baalke, his place in the franchise and it's decision-making process can only serve the Jaguars positively.

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