How Safe is the Jaguars' Leadership?

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke are leading a 1-5 team that had high expectations. How much longer will they get?

Oct 12, 2024; Watford, United Kingdom; Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Pederson and quarterbacks coach Mike McCoy during practice at The Grove. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan had high expectations for 2024.

"Winning now is the expectation," he had said. "Make no mistake, this is the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever. Best players, best coaches. But most importantly, let's prove it by winning now."

Six weeks into the season, the Jaguars are 1-5. There seem to be no answers. Just before the fifth and most recent loss, Khan doubled down on his support for the head coach and general manager duo of Doug Pederson and Trent Baalke.

"I still believe in them," Khan said. "I believe in the players, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Trent. Obviously, the results are disappointing for all of them, just as well as me or any other Jaguar fan, but the key thing one has to understand [is] we have evolved and really got to a level. I think we've got the players, we've got the coaching, we've got the facilities."

And then the Jaguars were embarrassed 35-16 against the Chicago Bears. Now, things seem to be up in the air the week after a momentous victory and a miniscule glimmer of hope.

ESPN's NFL Nation questioned just how safe the duo is after such an egregious loss:

"One day after owner Shad Khan said he still believes in Pederson and Baalke, the Jaguars played a sloppy game to drop to 1-5. That makes reaching the playoffs -- which Khan said before the season was his expectation -- highly unlikely. Of 201 teams that started 1-5 since 1966, only four have made the playoffs. The Jaguars are now 2-10 in their past 12 games, and the only victories have been against Carolina and Indianapolis, which is a good indication of the direction of the franchise."

After the game, Pederson spoke about the team's culture and how it needed to change.

"Otherwise it just gets out of control. We're on a slippery slope or right on the cusp of that slope and at some point we've got to, we just have to -- enough is enough. And you got to have enough pride and figure out a way," he said.

Whether or not he is part of the change seems to be anyone's guess. A loss next week in London to a struggling New England Patriots team and another rookie quarterback could be the final straw.

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