After the Jacksonville Jaguars finished the 2020 season 1-15, it was clear that the team was going to make a change at the coaching position. On Monday, the team fired head coach Doug Marrone. In five seasons, Marrone went 23-43, including one playoff appearance.
The team fired GM Dave Caldwell back in November, so now the Jaguars are in the market for a GM and head coach.
Last season, Khan decided to bring back Caldwell and Marrone. On Monday, Khan was asked if that was a mistake. According to Khan, he has no regrets.
“Not at all. No, I don’t, and I’ll tell you why,” Khan said about bringing Caldwell and Marrone back in 2020. “When I sat down with them after [former Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Tom [Coughlin] ‘s departure, both of them expressed a desire that they want to be able to demonstrate what they can do working together. Also, as I mentioned earlier, we had serious issues with the team, so who better to help clean it up [than] who were part of that, really creating the mess. That would include me. So it was the three of us really need to join hands.
“You want to win but you want to set the foundation, and that was how do we help the players who don’t want to be there exit, and exit with the right value for the Jaguars? Then who are the players, maybe veterans, how do we identify them who’d be better off going someplace else and it would bring salary cap and draft picks we could invest in new players. That was done earlier, or last year, this season and then some of the capital obviously we have for the future. They played a role but we’re not where we would be where we could sustain or extend them.”
Jacksonville has an appealing situation. They have cap space. According to Overthecap.com, Jacksonville has $77 million in cap space. Also, Jacksonville has the number one overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, which means they probably can get their franchise quarterback in Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State’s Justin Fields.
“Well, I certainly think there’s a huge amount of interest in this, much more so than the last time around,” Khan said. “And I also look at really—we’re in a much different, and I would say a better position today than we were a year ago. A little over a year ago, as you well know—and I think you reported—we did have team disharmony, and we were—for lack of a better word—salary cap hell.
“I think today; I frankly thought that we would do better. We won six games last year [2019], but you know, certainly, we have a lot of salary cap availability along with the draft picks and obviously the number one pick. But what’s evaded the history of the Jags, really, has been a franchise quarterback. And I think what’s unique, certainly, is that we have the ability now to make a choice, and it’s going to define the franchise moving forward.”
There were reports that the Jaguars had interest in former Florida and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer, Khan addressed those rumors on Monday.
“I’ve known Urban(Meyer) over the years through Big Ten and what have you,” Khan said. “But we have not spoken to anyone about this job or even, obviously, interviewed him. I mean, this is something—just made the decision this morning. So, you know there is—and I’ll leave it at that.”
Finding a franchise quarterback is never easy, and Jacksonville has not had one of those in a long time. Now, with a chance to draft Lawrence or Fields, the future could be very bright in Jacksonville. But before that, they must find a GM and coach, which will be a big decision for this team going forward.
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