5 Observations on Shad Khan's Decision to Pause Jaguars' EVP Search
The Jacksonville Jaguars made a big move on Tuesday by not making any move at all.
The lack of traction on the search for a football executive to work above general manager Trent Baalke finally got clarity as owner Shad Khan announced he would be placing a pause on the team's search for an Executive Vice President of Football.
With Khan and the Jaguars now making it clear that Baalke and head coach Doug Pederson would lead the team's charge this offseason, it is worth taking a look at the decision to bring the search to a halt and what it means for the Jaguars moving forward.
Where do the Jaguars go from here? Could changes come later down the road? We answer these questions and more with our five observations on Khan's decision.
Trent Baalke has a chance to cement his status in Jacksonville's front office even further
If you are Trent Baalke, today is a reason for celebration. Bringing an executive into Jacksonville to report directly to Khan and serve above Baalke would have neutered Baalke's sway in terms of both personnel and long-term direction of the franchise, but Baalke is now just as entrenched in the front office as he was at the end of the season. Even after a 3-14 season, Baalke now has a second chance -- a chance that he could turn into an extended stay depending on how the 2022 season plays out.
“I think Shad [Khan] answered that with his statement. I think that was something that we were looking into and like I said at the press conference, I’m all for anything that is going to help this organization move forward," Baalke said Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "We have been stuck in neutral for a while. We are going to continue to address those levels of leadership, but I think we are very comfortable. I really appreciate Shad stepping up and having the confidence in Doug [Pederson] and myself that he has shown.”
In short, this move now gives Baalke a chance to reinforce his relationship with Pederson and Khan and essentially give himself 2022 as another audition. If the Jaguars hired an executive above him, it is likely his stay at the top of the Jaguars' food chain would not have lasted. But now that he is firmly one of the team's top decision-makers and will answer only to Khan, he has a chance to have his fate decided by the Jaguars' performance in 2022. If the Jaguars become more competitive in 2022 with Pederson at the helm, it is unlikely Baalke would go anywhere. This wouldn't have automatically been the case if an EVP was hired, but it is the case now.
Unlikely that Khan makes this decision without faith in his head coach
It is hard to imagine that Khan would make this move/non-move without having a lot of faith in Doug Pederson. It is clear to this point how much trust Khan has in Baalke, but today's announcement makes it even more clear how much Khan is entrusting Pederson. After less than a month on the job, Khan has seen enough to make him want to change course and not shake up an organization he thinks is now operating toward the right trajectory.
“The relationship that Trent and I have built and continue to build every single day. I think it speaks volumes what our owner has said and he really has given the confidence to Trent [Baalke] and I to really build this thing," Pederson said at the combine on Tuesday. "Not to say we can’t continue to add value in the personnel department, we could still do that. At the same time, it shows the confidence he has and really me just being me from day one and showing people there who I really am.”
I am not sold that Khan would have opted to not bring in EVP if he hired a first-time head coach such as Byron Leftwich or Nathaniel Hackett. Pederson's experience and overall temperament as a leader has done enough to convince Khan that the status quo is the right set up moving forward
What this move says about Urban Meyer and Shad Khan's decision to hire him
Just how bad was Urban Meyer? That is the thought I keep coming back to when it comes to this news. And if you are reading between the lines on Khan's decision, then Meyer may have somehow been even worse than his dreadful on-field record and off-field behavior indicated. I can not imagine that Khan would have made this same decision if Meyer was at the helm, which says a lot about both Meyer and Khan's decision to hire him to begin with.
The fact Khan's statement and actions have made it clear that he has been so impressed by Pederson's leadership and shifting of the Jaguars' culture that he doesn't feel an EVP is exactly necessary at this point speaks volumes. Khan has seen Pederson operate for not even a month now, and Pederson has still shown him that he is a complete shift away from Meyer in every possible way. Meyer's failures of leadership were clear to anyone paying attention last year. So clear that not even a month into Pederson's tenure and Khan has noticeably realized what it is like having a competent leader at the helm of the franchise.
Khan's decision to hire Meyer was always a roll of the dice, but it was his roll of the dice. He did what so many fans had begged of him and finally took control and action of the franchise, moving swiftly to land his big fish. His big fish turned out to be nothing more than a cheap novelty act akin to a singing Big Mouth Billy Bass, though, and it has taken Meyer's replacement three weeks to separate the two. Khan will have to hope that he never again has the failure in judgment that he had with Meyer.
Khan's statement doesn't make it seem like an EVP would happen anytime soon, if at all
Count me as skeptical that an EVP is going to happen at all at this point. After what seemed like a stalled search from the very beginning -- and with Rick Speilman openly stating in media appearances that he has had offers but hasn't found the right role -- it simply seems like an EVP is something that seemed like a good idea to Khan at the time and now seems wholly unnecessary.
"I am pausing on the consideration of introducing an executive vice president of football," Khan said in a statement on Tuesday. "In just over three weeks, Doug Pederson has instilled a structured and disciplined approach that is clearly making a difference in our culture and mindset. I feel we're best served at this time by allowing Doug, [General Manager] Trent [Baalke] and their assistants to take ownership of our path moving forward. We will continue to explore the addition of personnel to other areas of our football operations to provide everyone the best chance to win."
None of that reads like an owner who wants to simply kick this decision down the road a few months; it reads like an owner who has made up his mind on the direction of the franchise, at least for the 2022 season. Perhaps the Jaguars add an executive above Baalke following the draft and free agency, but nothing in Khan's statement suggests this is a move that will be made anytime soon, if at all.
Jaguars can't afford to remain stagnant in the front office; wholesale changes to their operations are still needed
Khan would be in the wrong if he enters this offseason with the mindset that no changes are needed. While the hiring of Pederson has clearly played a big role in Khan's offseason strategy, Khan still has to accept and move on the fact that the Jaguars' front office and personnel department is lacking in contrast to the rest of the league. Khan may not be hiring an EVP, but he needs to hire an assistant general manager and even other personnel to add to a stagnant front office and organization that Khan himself said needed "brainpower" added to it.
"So I mean, we've had too flat an organization, and we want to add brainpower and more people to strengthen that," Khan said at Pederson's introductory press conference.
Khan was right when he made that statement. The Jaguars have not been an innovative or forward-thinking front office in recent years, and it has been quite some time since any Jaguars front office member was considered a rising name and candidate in the NFL. The Jaguars need to add to their front office talent pool, and the decision to not hire an EVP doesn't change this.
