Shad Khan is the 84th Most Influential Person for the 2015 NFL Season

The Jacksonville Jaguars were once a team with questions about their long term viability in a city that appeared to be apathetic about their franchise. Fans worried when former owner Wayne Weaver decided to sell the team to a relatively unknown business man who made his fortune in car bumpers. Over the last 3+ years, Shad Khan has put all of those worries to rest.

In retrospect, it’s amazing that the Jaguars managed to have arguably one of the best owners in professional sports fall into their lap. Khan has done everything in his power to reinforce the Jaguars’ foothold in Jacksonville, and he’s helped maintain local and national interest on the franchise despite poor play on the field.

Perhaps Khan’s biggest impact has been on the Jaguars’ presence in London, and that’s why he cracked SI.com’s list of the 100 most influential people for the 2015 season. Here’s what Jenny Vrentas had to say about Khan coming in at 84:

"Since Khan purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars in late 2011, his team has posted no more than four wins in a season. But Jacksonville has played an important role in one of the NFL’s most prized initiatives: London. The Jaguars are midway through a four-year agreement to play one regular-season home game per season in London, a lynchpin of the league’s efforts to grow its presence in the U.K. and test the viability of a London-based NFL franchise. The Jaguars have shot down speculation that they could eventually relocate to London (a Union Jax fan club already exists), instead portraying the international commitment as a lucrative investment that boosted revenue and stabilized the franchise financially since Khan bought the team. Either way, if the Jaguars extend their London arrangement past 2016, both the team and the NFL benefit."

As long as the Jaguars play an annual game in London, there will always be speculation about a permanent move overseas. The logistics of something like that happening are so overwhelming that it’s borderline comical to seriously discuss it, but it’s going to exist nonetheless.

Regardless, the Jaguars have been able to take advantage of their trip overseas by significantly increasing revenues and helping the team increase their international footprint. The real interesting case study will be how popular the Jaguars become when they start winning – maybe then we’ll see how influential Khan has really been since stepping into the NFL scene.

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