Jaguars Owner Shad Khan Comments on Ramsey, London, and More Over Weekend

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan spoke with the team's website over the weekend and comments on a variety of topics about his football team while in London for their game vs. the Houston Texans.

Before the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) kicked off against the Houston Texans (6-3) in London this past weekend, team owner Shad Khan discussed several topics with Jaguars.com. The topics ranged from the Jalen Ramsey trade and other players, to the team's business interests off of the field.

When it came to his team's on-field product, Khan said Saturday he felt like the team did well for itself a few weeks ago when the Jaguars Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams for two first-round draft picks (in 2020 and 2021 respectively) and a fourth-round pick in 2021.

Jaguars Owner Shad Khan said recent Jalen Ramsey trade "played out great for us..."

“We want to have players who are committed to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who can help us win,” Khan said. “If not, we want to get fair value out of that.”

— John Oehser (@JohnOehser) November 2, 2019

Jacksonville now has 18 draft selections over the next two drafts, with four of those being first-round picks. They lost an All-Pro player and arguably the best cornerback in the NFL, but Ramsey simply did not want to be in Jacksonville any longer. 

Khan also shared his thoughts on fourth-year defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who is in the final season of his rookie contract with the team. Ngakoue was offered an extension before the season started, but Ngakoue declined it to instead play out the final year of his deal.

"We’ve had we thought a very, very good offer. But I think Yannick is a great player. Our goal is we want him to be part of the team.”
-- #Jaguars Owner Shad Khan on DE Yannick Ngakoue

— John Oehser (@JohnOehser) November 2, 2019

The state of the team's quarterback position, as well as how it came to be constructed, was another matter Khan discussed Saturday. Khan told Jaguars.Com that he advocated for the team to select a backup quarterback in the past NFL Draft.

Jacksonville later selected Gardner Minshew in the sixth-round, a player Khan said he has been impressed with since meeting him at the NFL Combine.

“You feel bad for Nick (Foles),” Khan said. “I think he’s a great guy. I could sense his leadership, the difference he made since we got him on the team, but I had confidence in Gardner.”

“He had the fire in the belly, so I had a very different feeling than I would have in the prior six years that all was not lost," Khan noted about Minshew.

The Jaguars owner noted he was also impressed with the way his team had over adversity. This was of course before the Jaguars lost 26-3 to the Texans at Wembley Stadium but in the midst of Ramsey being traded and starting quarterback Nick Foles going down with a clavicle injury 11 plays into his tenure as Jacksonville's quarterback.

As for his team's standing moving forward in London, where they have now played seven consecutive games, Khan said the team would like to extend the team's contract with the NFL to play an annual home game in London, with the current contract running through 2020.

“I think we definitely want to extend,” Khan said. “It’s worked great for us and frankly, I can’t imagine not having it – the value that it has added for Jacksonville. We’re talking to the league and I’m very optimistic we’re going to have an extension.”

Khan also expressed some thoughts on why it is so important for the Jaguars to have a home game in London each season. Khan and his team have stayed steadfast in their public commitment to the Jaguars' place in Jacksonville, but Khan made it clear over the weekend that he deems the London game a necessity for the club.

"What’s driven this for us is we want to give the community a different experience,” Khan said. “Obviously football … there is a limited demand for it. That’s why we’re playing the games here in London -- that the community can't support selling out eight games, so maybe there's something else we can do there for the hot-dog vendors, the hotel rooms, all the stakeholders who make a living off the game."