Jacksonville Jaguars have to prove skeptics wrong after spending spree in 2017

The Jacksonville Jaguars have to prove skeptics wrong in 2017 or risk disappointing everyone following another big spending spree.

Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars are always trying to prove skeptics wrong. They are always “one step” away from being competitors and actually achieving something.

This is best reflected in the recent spending sprees that have netter negligible results. Free agent classes headlined by players like Julius Thomas and Malik Jackson never paid off and the Jags have just eight wins in the last two seasons despite spending big. Players once considered key, like cornerback Davon House and defensive tackles Roy Miller and Sen’Derrick Marks are no longer with the team along with a long list of others.

It’s up to the Jaguars to prove that they can actually deliver once the team puts owner Shad Khan’s money where its mouth is.

A recent post at ESPN did an excellent job of bottling this general feeling. Titled “Jaguars again ‘win’ free agency, but will it mean wins in the AFC South?” the post explores the offseason champions from the lenses of the sites team writers. Before even clicking on the article, the responses are predictable.

Here are some responses.

“But the Jaguars are perennial offseason winners — this is the second straight offseason that Jacksonville has spent the most money in the NFL during free agency — so it is up to them to make their spending finally translate into wins on the field,” writes Sarah Barshop (Houston Texans).

“an a team now overseen by Tom Coughlin and coached by Doug Marrone get better results with another solid class of veterans in place?” writes Paul Kuharksy (Tennessee Titans).

“…I’m going to say the Jaguars as back-to-back offseason champions on paper. Of course I’ll regret this decision by Week 3 next season, because I thought they improved themselves last offseason only to end up going 3-13…” writes Mike Wells (Indianapolis Colts).

It’s exactly what every NFL fan is thinking when looking at the Jaguars. It’s even the same thing some or most Jags fans are thinking. “Winning the offseason” rarely translates to wins and the Jaguars are quickly becoming the team willing to throw money at the problem despite never seeing results.