4 strangest offseason decisions by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022

No. 1 Jaguars strangest decision – Scrap the plan to hire an EVP

Urban Meyer gave the Jaguars no choice but to fire him after series of questinable decisions, one worst than the previous one. Once he was gone, it was reasonable to think that general manager Trent Balke was going to be next. After all, he was partially responsible for the team’s 3-14 record last season. However, the organization decided to keep him around even though fans made their displeasure known.

One thing that gave fans assurance was that the owner Shad Khan had filed a request to add an executive vice president of football operations to their front office (EVP). This executive would have been above Baalke and Pederson and overseen the operation of the team. Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spieldman was one name linked to the position but the Jaguars ultimately put the plan on hiatus.

Had Jacksonville hired an EVP, Baalke wouldn’t be the only one calling the shots, and the Jaguars never really explained with they opted to pause the process. Maybe Khan was pleased with his general manager’s performance throughout the offseason or perhaps he meshed well with head coach Doug Pederson. It’s possible that  two developed chemistry and the owner no longer thought adding an EVP was necessary. Nevertheless, hiring one would have fortified the Jaguars front office.

If it accounts for something, Jacksonville hired Ethan Waugh as their assistant general manager earlier this year, so Baalke will get a right hand and the front office will get another voice.