If Jaguars Owner Shad Khan Wants to Clean House, Should He Do It Now?

Should Shad Khan wipe the Jacksonville Jaguars' slate now so he can pursue other options?

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan speaks as the business bearing the name on the new practice facility, Miller Electric Center, is announced during a media conference after a minicamp football practice Monday, June 13, 2022 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Unio / USA TODAY NETWORK

It seems like the Jacksonville Jaguars are a team waiting for the other shoe to drop as they enter their Week 12 bye.

At the time of this writing, Jaguars owner Shad Khan has yet to make a public decision on the short- or long-term future of head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke.

But should he?

There is no debate to be had on whether Pederson or Baalke can or should save their jobs. It instead seems like a forgone conclusion that the 2-9 Jaguars are a team waiting to have the hammer come down. The Jaguars need a clean slate, and Khan is the one who will have to decide whether to provide it.

The Jaguars had expectations for a winning season in 2024. Khan called it the best team in franchise history. But the product the Jaguars have produced is far beneath that, with the Jaguars fresh off the worst loss in franchise history.

"We talk a lot. Preseason, offseason, I mean, going into the season you’ve got high expectations, obviously, for your football team, as you should," Pederson said on Monday. "Everybody does. Start of camp, start of the regular season, and rightfully so.”"

Instead, the argument is whether Khan should make a move now during the team's Week 12 bye, or whether he should just wait until the end of the season.

The reasons to make a move now? Perhaps the Jaguars would want to officially put the Pederson/Baalke regime behind them and look forward to the future, which could include doing background work and research on potential candidates.

There are the obvious candidates like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson who the Jaguars wouldn't be able to speak with quite yet, but they could make overtures to candidates who are not currently employed by another team.

The top candidate from that point of view would be Bill Belichick. If the Jaguars were to move on from Pederson and Baalke quickly and they determine that Belichick is their man, the Jaguars could use an early firing to move ahead of other teams.

The New Orleans Saints and New York Jets have already fired their coaches, and other teams could follow them before the Jaguars do. This includes the Dallas Cowboys, who could be an appealing option to Belichick if he wants to go to a team built to win now.

If Khan makes a quick decision on Pederson and Baalke, he could prevent other teams from speaking to one of the top options on the market. That alone could be reason enough for Khan to want to make some kind of changes sooner than later.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.