Say what you want about Shad Khan as the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, and there are many unflattering things you could say about him. However, you will never hear about him making a decision about his team based on Madden ratings. If you think that's cringy, you should know that New York Jets owner Woody Johnson operates that way, according to a recent report from the Athletic that paints a worrisome picture.
Zack Rosenblatt, Dianna Russini, and Michael Silver broke the news for The Athletic that former Jets general manager Joe Douglas was deep in negotiations with the Denver Broncos to acquire wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. According to the report, they were close to consummating a deal but Johnson vetoed it because Jeudy's rating in Madden was too low.
The whole article is worth reading but you need a subscription. For the time being, here's the snippet about the Madden debacle.
"Douglas told the Broncos that Johnson didn’t want to make the trade because the owner felt Jeudy’s player rating in “Madden NFL,” the popular video game, wasn’t high enough, according to multiple league sources. The Broncos ultimately traded the receiver to the Cleveland Browns. Last Sunday, Jeudy crossed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the first time in his career."
In case you were wondering, yes, the report is referring to Madden, the video game franchise, which is extremely odd. You will be hard-pressed to find an executive that makes decisions based on a video game. Heck, you would give an analyst a blank stare if they made an opinion based on a Madden rating. This is to say that if the report is true — and there are no reasons to think it isn't — Johnson isn't capable of running an NFL team.
In fact, The Athletic report sounds like something Johnson would do based on the Jets' history of dysfunction. Meanwhile, the most controversial thing Khan has said (or made) as the Jaguars owner (recently) was stating that the 2024 team was the most talented in franchise history.
Shad Khan hasn't been as dreadful as the Jaguars owners as some of his peers
The Jacksonville Jaguars have had just three winning seasons since Shad Khan became the owner. And you can give him all the flak you want for the dearth of winning and failing to put together a team that enjoys sustained success. Having said, that you must definitely give him props for avoiding controversy and making puzzling decisions like Woody Johnson or the likes of Dave Tapper and Jim Haslam.
You won't see Khan make a pick in the draft based on what a random homeless person tells him like Haslam did in 2024. Similarly, you won't hear about the Jaguars owner throwing drinks at fans. If anything, you cannot say that he has not actively tried to win, even if his approach has been misguided.
For all his faults, Khan has spared no expense to either go after free agents or pay his homegrown talent. Similarly, he will not hesitate to invest a considerable amount of his own money in the City of Jacksonville and renovations for EverBank Stadium, unlike some of his peers, who are consistently looking for their stadiums to get subsidized.
The bottom line is that Shad Khan has made a strong attempt to turn the Jacksonville Jaguars into one of the team best teams in the NFL. Sure, his efforts have been futile, but at least you cannot say that he's making the headlines — like fellow owner Woody Johnson — for the wrong reasons.