Tag: Karim Kassam

Jaguars part ways with executive Karim Kassam, who they hired in February

Jacksonville will have to find someone else to head analytics in 2021, as Karim Kassam has left the team.

After a very short tenure with the Jaguars, senior vice president of football operations and strategy Karim Kassam is out of a job. Jacksonville hired Kassam in February as part of the regime change that brought in general manager Trent Baalke and head coach Urban Meyer.

Tony Khan, the Jags’ chief football strategy officer and son of owner Shad Khan, announced Kassam’s departure in a statement.

“Karim and the team have come to the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interest to move in different directions,” Khan said, according to ESPN’s Mike DiRocco. “We wish Karim nothing but the best.”

The team originally brought in Kassam on Feb. 19 to oversee the football technology and analytics department and was also tasked with helping with salary-cap management. The reasons for his departure aren’t known at this time.

Before he was hired by the Jaguars, Kassam worked as the director of baseball research for the Minnesota Twins after serving five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an analytics and football research coordinator.

This is a fairly large shakeup to the front office to make so early on, as Kassam was expected to play a major role in the expanding field of analytics. But it seems Jacksonville will now have to go in a different direction.

Jaguars name Karim Kassam SVP of football operations strategy

The Jags have hired Karim Kassam formerly of the Minnesota Twins to oversee the Jags’ technology among other jobs.

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ staff continued to endure changes this week, adding Karim Kassam as their senior vice president of football operations strategy. Kassam’s duties will include overseeing the Jags’ technology and analytics departments. He will also have his hand in salary cap administration in consultation with Coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke.

With Tony Khan being elevated to a new role as chief football strategy Officer, Kassam will report to him. Khan will report to his father and owner Shad Khan, just like Baalke and Meyer.

“I’m ready to get started in Jacksonville, and am grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact and contribute to a franchise that is forward-thinking, ambitious and has so much promise,” Kassam said via Jaguars.com. “I look forward to collaborating with Tony and doing whatever it takes to assist and support the Jaguars as we work to build something special in Jacksonville.”

Kassam will join the Jags after spending time with the MLB’s Minnesota Twins as the leader of their baseball research department. He also oversaw analytics in the areas of scouting, player development, and biomechanics. While Kassam was with the team, Minnesota was able to win the American League Central Division title.

Before joining the Twins, Kassam was with the Pittsburgh Steelers for five seasons. His role with them was to lead development of advanced statistics for football operations. He also aided with analyzing opponent trends and college prospects, which consisted of working closely with personnel and coaches.

The Jags started this week by officially adding Tom Gamble and Ryan Stamper to their front office as their senior personnel executive and director of player assessment, respectively. They also named senior personnel executive Michael Davis, director of roster management Trip MacCracken, and player personnel coordinator Drew Hughes to the personnel department.