Jaguars' Shad Khan Making Right Call With New Power Structure

For the first time in over a decade, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a clean slate.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan did not race to hit the reset button, first firing former head coach Doug Pederson on the day after the 2024 season ended before firing general manager Trent Baalke two weeks later.

But once Khan made the move to part ways with Baalke after four seasons leading the front office, Khan set in motion a new, refreshed power structure for the franchise moving forward.

"My goal is to do the right thing for the team, and I believe I'm doing that," Khan said last week.

The first part of that new power structure came into place when the Jaguars hired head coach Liam Coen last month. Coen was hired just days after the Jaguars fired Baalke, with the Jaguars taking the rare, but not unprecedented, move of adding a head coach before a general manager.

By adding a head coach before a general manager, Khan and the Jaguars made it clear that Coen would wield a great amount of power and influence in the organization. The last head coach to essentially pick his general manager was Kyle Shanahan, but the Jaguars' aren't a direct comparison.

The reason for that is the recent addition of Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Boselli as Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Boselli joined the front office in an official capacity on Monday after playing a significant role in the pursuit of Coen.

Now, the Jaguars need a new general manager who will lead the team's personnel department; Boselli has made it clear that his role is not to evaluate, sign or draft players. That will be up to the impending general manager hire, who will work side-by-side with Coen to execute the head coach's vision.

And in that structure, the Jaguars will not have any of the three individuals answer to each other. Instead, all three will answer directly to Khan.

"Boselli will report to Khan, as does new head coach Liam Coen. The team’s general manager will also report to Khan once that hire has been made in the weeks ahead. The new general manager will then join Coen and Boselli to form a football leadership unit that will collaborate and align on all major football decisions, develop a long-term strategy for sustainable on-field success, and provide counsel to the team owner," the Jaguars said in a statement on Monday.

Khan has tried out several different power structures in the past; former general manager Dave Caldwell led the search to hire former head coach Gus Bradley. And when Doug Marrone was hired as head coach in 2017, it was largely due to then-newly hired EVP Tom Coughlin. Coughlin had full control of the Jaguars' football operations, with Caldwell and Marrone below him and only Khan above him.

When the Jaguars fired Coughlin, both Marrone and Caldwell reported to Khan in 2020. Then when he fired them and hired Baalke and former head coach Urban Meyer, it was clear Meyer and Baalke would work closely due to Meyer's inexperience. And when Doug Pederson was hired, it was dictated that both he and Baalke would report to Khan.

Now, the Jaguars are going a different route. It isn't unusual for the Jaguars' head coach and general manager to report to Khan, but now a third voice has been thrown into the mix with Boselli. It can also be argued that Coen has as much influence as any coach Khan has hired, even Meyer.

It is a new way forward for a team that had to try something. Only time will tell if the new direction is the right one, but Khan is making the right call by at least making an attempt.

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