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Jacksonville Jaguars continue to attract talent despite not winning

By Luke Sims

Dec 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan talks to head coach Gus Bradley before the start of their game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan talks to head coach Gus Bradley before the start of their game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Jacksonville Jaguars under head coach Gus Bradley and general manager Dave Caldwell have done an excellent job of attracting top talent in free agency even without winning many games.

5-11 is the high water mark for the Jacksonville Jaguars under head coach Gus Bradley. Since being hired three seasons ago, the first-time head coach has only managed to win 12 total games, compared to 36 losses.

That’s hardly the kind of record that a rebuilding team is hoping to see from their head coach. Five wins in one season also isn’t a desirable outcome after three seasons on the job.

And yet Bradley remains and general manager Dave Caldwell also remains with the team. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan certainly has patience and knows that making constant changes only hampers an NFL team. Something about Bradley and Caldwell lets Khan hang on.

Part of that appeal is the infectious positivity under the Bradley-Caldwell regime. There is no head coach in the NFL as positive as Bradley. He bubbles over with cheerfulness and the positive vibes almost knock you over when he talks about competing and getting better. He believes that the Jags are making steps in the right direction year in and year out, day after day.

That positivity is downright infectious and while fans may be disenchanted by the lack of results stemming from the positive message after three lackluster seasons, it clearly still works with free agents. The Jags are not having difficult attracting talent.

This is perhaps best emphasized with two Denver Broncos additions over the last two seasons: defensive lineman Malik Jackson in 2016 and tight end Julius Thomas in 2015.

Both of those players were among the best in their free agency classes. Both of them took big deals to come to the Jaguars. Both of them left a winning team to come slog it out in Jacksonville on a team that just doesn’t win very much. And both of them cited the positivity of Bradley and the up-and-coming culture of the franchise.

Mike Kaye of First Coast News recently posted something similar, drawing attention to the fact that the latest free agent additions came to the Jaguars because they believe the team is on the rise. Two of those players, Jackson and former Carolina Panther punter Brad Nortman, left their Super Bowl teams to come play for the Jags. Safety Tashaun Gipson eagerly jumped at the chance to leave the Cleveland Browns dumpster fire and running back Chris Ivory left a 10-win team to play for the Jags.

While the wins still haven’t come for the Jaguars, the last two offseasons in particular have led to strong roster additions. The franchise’s appeal clearly stretches beyond winning. Throwing money at the players doesn’t hurt, of course, but the appeal of the Jaguars continues to be greater than that of other teams.

For a small market team without many wins, it’s important to recognize this. It’s important to realize that even if we, the fans, continue to get frustrated, there are appealing things about what the Jags are doing under Bradley and Caldwell and Khan.

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Yet if the team doesn’t produce many wins in 2016, Bradley and Caldwell may be on their way out, no matter how appealing the culture around them has been. So, if the team doesn’t do well, the real question may be, can Shad Khan build a similar culture and win?

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