Jaguars owner doesn't hold back his feelings on Doug Pederson, Trent Baalke

Before the season began, owner Shad Khan made it clear that he expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to win because, in his eyes, they were the best Jags team ever put together. So far, they haven't lived up to expectations. But despite their rough start, the owner hasn't lost confidence in head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke. In fact, he showed strong support with his latest remarks.

Khan had an exclusive sitdown with Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union and said that he's still behind both his head coach and his general manager, pointing out that they got off to a slow start in 2022 but still managed to turn things around.

"Khan cited Jacksonville's past two seasons as part of his thought process. The team began the 2022 season 2-6, finishing 9-8 to become AFC South Champions. In 2023, however, Jacksonville flipped that, starting the year 8-3, while finishing 9-8 and out of the playoffs."

Later in the exchange, the owner told Harvey that he believes that the Jags have the right people in place to steer the ship in the right direction.

""I still believe in them. I believe in the players, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Trent [Baalke]. Obviously, the results are disappointing for all of them, just as well as me or any other Jaguar fan, but, the key thing one has to understand [is] we have evolved and really got to a level. I think we've got the players, we've got the coaching, we've got the facilities.""

In the offseason, Khan made an agreement with the City of Jacksonville to spend $1.4 billion on renovations to EverBank Stadium. On the day of the announcement, the owner told the media that he expected his team to win. Later, he met with players and coaches to let them know that he wasn't misquoted, noting that this was the best Jaguars team ever.

Khan's belief was understandable when you take into account that the team's brass spent the offseason making upgrades to the coaching staff and the roster. However, Jacksonville has yet to get a return on its investment.

Pederson hired Ryan Nielsen as the defensive coordinator to tighten things up on that side of the ball. However, the Jaguars' defense is among the worst of the thing. This is especially frustrating when you consider that the front office spared no expense to bring in defensive tackle Arik Armstead, cornerback Ronald Darby, and cornerback Darnell Savage in free agency but they haven't had a big impact thus far.

Similarly, the Jags gave top-market contracts to franchise cornerstones Trevor Lawrence, Josh Hines-Allen, and cornerback Tyson Campbell but they haven't played like the top players at their respective position. But as underwhelming as they've been, Khan isn't ready to give up on his head coach and general manager.

Jaguars HC Shad Khan isn't pressing the panic button (even if he should)

Nobody would bat an eye if Shad Khan chose to fire Doug Pederson or Trent Baalke. After all, they've failed to deliver despite getting everything they need to succeed. However, it looks like the owner is trusting the process and won't be making any abrupt decisions. This is understandable.

The New York Jets just parted ways with Robert Saleh but it's hard to tell just how much his firing will help them turn the corner and improve the offense, their biggest weakness this season. Khan doesn't want to probably end up in a similar position, where his team ends up in an even worse situation. On the other hand, firing a head coach helps a team start the search for his potential success.

That means that Khan hasn't probably contemplated firing Pederson or Baalke because he doesn't plan to make any changes right now. Having said that, things can always take a turn, and if the Jaguars keep struggling they may ultimately give the head coach and the general manager.

For the time being, it's good to see Shad Khan sticking with Pederson and Baalke despite their lack of results. Maybe his approach will pay off. Maybe it won't, but you cannot fault the owner for not being loyal and not sticking to his beliefs, whether he's right or wrong. That deserves praise.

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