Tag: shad khan

Shad Khan: Jaguars are committed to long-term London connection

Shad Khan says the Jaguars’ annual trip to London isn’t going to stop happening anytime soon.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have played a game in London every year since 2013 with the exception of 2020 when no games were played internationally due to COVID. The team also has a deal in place to play games at Wembley Stadium in 2023 and 2024.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan doesn’t seem interested in ending that partnership any time soon either.

“I think we’ve moved the needle in a good way,” Khan said in an interview posted Wednesday by Jaguars UK. “Typically, in an international game you’ll see all 32 jerseys represented in the fanbase. But last year’s game was phenomenal for many aspects. One was, look at the crowd. There were a lot more Jaguars jerseys. So it tells me we’ve connected, we’ve moved the needle, and we’ve got a really active enthusiastic fanbase here.

“We’re committed to London. It’s been great for us, and it’s been great for our fans, it’s been great for Jacksonville. … We’re going to be at Wembley [Stadium] for the long-term. How many total games? I think we’re going to take it maybe year by year, but certainly long-term. That trend is gonna continue.”

While Khan is pleased with the Jaguars’ growing presence overseas, the annual game away from Jacksonville isn’t popular with all of the team’s fans. Many are frustrated that the team consistently moves one of its precious few home games away from North Florida.

Those complaints evidently haven’t caused Khan to reconsider the arrangement. And it looks like the Jaguars games at Wembley Stadium remain in the team’s plans for the foreseeable future.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[stnvideo key=”bl69612F49-2614655-7617″ type=”float”]

Shad Khan: Doug Pederson leads by ‘practicing what he’s preaching’

Shad Khan says Doug Pederson “walks the walk” and that’s why players trust him.

Doug Pederson’s first season with the Jacksonville Jaguars will be remembered as an absolute success, regardless how the newly crowned AFC South champions do in the postseason.

After a 2-6 start to his first season in Jacksonville, Pederson led an incredible turnaround with the Jaguars winning seven games after October to surge into the playoff field. The team’s current five-game winning streak is the longest for the franchise since 2005.

Players have clearly bought into Pederson’s philosophies and Jaguars owner Shad Khan says it’s because they come from a genuine place.

“It’s practicing what he’s preaching,” Khan told reporters after the team’s Saturday night win vs. the Titans, via 1010XL. “He walks the walk and never gets too high or too low. His whole approach is to help players get better. So I think obviously all of us are really proud to know him and what he’s done.”

Pederson, 54, previously spent five seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, leading the team to a 42-37-1 record in the regular season as well as a win in Super Bowl LII.

In a locker room speech Saturday night, Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard thanked Pederson for the “calming” and “peaceful” confidence that comes with his leadership.

Watch: Jaguars celebrate AFC South championship in locker room

“You’re AFC South champs, baby”

The Jacksonville Jaguars are AFC South champions after a dramatic, come-from-behind victory Saturday night.

It was a fitting conclusion to an unlikely comeback story for the Jaguars that began two months ago when the 2-6 team was trying to keep hope alive. After battling to a 4-8 record, Jacksonville finished its season with five straight wins.

While the Saturday night victory was far from pretty, belief in Jacksonville is sky high after the 20-16 win. And the Jaguars locker room was ecstatic after accomplishing its goal.

In addition to coach Doug Pederson addressing the team, owner Shad Khan spoke after he was awarded an AFC South champs game ball. Finishing up the speeches was safety Andrew Wingard, who has emerged as a leader and fan favorite in his fourth NFL season.

When it wasn’t speech time, there was plenty of dancing and cigars for the division champs.

The Jaguars will host the Los Angeles Chargers or Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round next weekend.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft running ad to combat antisemitism

Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his Foundation deliver a message to combat antisemitism

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is not going to be silent when it comes to the recent spray of antisemitic posts and actions.

Kraft and his foundation are running an ad Sunday during his team’s game with the New York Jets that delivers a powerful and important message:

#StanduptoJewishHate: It is Hate.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan also condemned antisemitic messages that were placed in Jacksonville after Saturday’s Florida-Georgia college football game.

“I’m personally dismayed to learn of antisemitic rhetoric and messages that marred the experience Saturday at the Florida-Georgia,” Khan said. “I know this is not representative of our community, but it happened and it’s outrageous. It’s hurtful and wrong. It has to stop. I’m asking everyone to make it their mission to end the ignorance and hatred. Let’s be better.”

The schools also condemned the hate speech.

Tony Boselli to receive Hall of Fame ring during halftime Sunday

Fans at the Jaguars’ Week 5 game against the Texans will get to celebrate the team’s first ever Hall of Famer.

Jacksonville Jaguars legend Tony Boselli will receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring during a halftime ceremony Sunday when the Jaguars play the Houston Texans.

On Tuesday, the Jaguars announced several events to celebrate the ring ceremony for the team’s first ever Hall of Famer.

In addition to the Sunday celebration, Boselli will be hosted by Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry at City Hall on Thursday. On Saturday, a documentary called “71” about the life and career of Boselli will premiere at the Ritz Theatre & Museum.

Boselli, 50, was officially inducted in the Hall of Fame in August. During the halftime ceremony Sunday, Boselli will be presented with the ring by Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter with Jaguars owner Shad Khan also in attendance.

The Jaguars made Boselli their first ever draft pick in 1995 and he’s credited with allowing only 15.5 sacks in seven seasons with the team. Boselli earned five trips to the Pro Bowl before he was selected by the Texans in the 2002 expansion draft. He never played for Houston due to a botched shoulder surgery.

Jags announce promotions within executive staff and a new addition

The Jags announced two promotions within their executive staff on Wednesday and also made an addition to it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced two promotions that occurred within their executive staff on Wednesday. Chad Johnson will be moving up to a role as the team’s chief operating officer, and Mark Sirota will be taking on a role as the senior vice president of business planning and chief financial officer.

The team also announced that they hired John Dever as their new senior vice president and chief communications officer.

“The Jaguars are the kind of organization where great work is recognized, and I’m incredibly proud of both Chad and Mark,” said Jags president Mark Lamping in a press release.  “Beyond their years of expertise in their respective fields, they’ve provided thought leadership on a variety of strategic initiatives and earned the respect and admiration of our entire staff.  The Jaguars also strive to attract the very best to Northeast Florida, and are thrilled to have John bring his talents and experience to lead our communications team.”

Johnson’s promotion comes after spending a decade with the Jags organization. He initially joined them as a vice president of sales in May of 2012 where his roles were to oversee ticketing and guest services. In 2017 he took on more responsibilities with the organization when they opened Daily’s Place amphitheater and oversaw the booking and execution of all concerts and events held there.

Then in 2021, Johnson’s role expanded once again as he was tasked with overseeing the Jaguars’ content creators across the marketing, broadcast, and events departments. He also managed stadium operations for the Jags last season.

Sirota is entering his eighth season with the Jags and previously held the team’s chief financial officer role dating back to 2020. According to the team, his responsibilities include providing integrated financial oversight for the sports and entertainment companies owned by the Khan family. His responsibilities also include the development and implementation of strategic initiatives and the implementation of business analytics and insights across the Jags organization.

Dever will join the Jags after spending time with PGA of America. He was tasked with directing the public relations efforts for various PGA events, including the Ryder Cup, and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, among notables. Before joining PGA of America, he spent 10 years in the MLB leading media operations for the Washington Nationals and Montreal Expos.

Jaguars come to a naming rights deal with Miller Electric Company for practice facility

The Jags have found a naming rights partner for their training facility in Miller Electric Company, who’ve been a part of the Jax community since 1928.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars’ new practice facility isn’t completed yet, in terms of its construction, progress has continued on the project. That progress isn’t just taking place on the grounds of the facility, but also on the business end as the Jags organization came to a naming rights deal for the project.

On Monday, the team announced that the deal was with Miller Electric Company of Jacksonville. The deal will give the company naming rights to the facility for 10 years, which will be called the “Miller Electric Center.”

Jags owner Shad Khan, president Mark Lamping, general manager Trent Baalke, and coach Doug Pederson were just some of a few people to be present at the announcement ceremony. Khan took the podium to speak right in front of the construction grounds and said he was honored to do business with a company that has been a part of the Jacksonville community for a while.

“It’s an honor that a company with such deep roots in Jacksonville, dating back to 1928, will be synonymous with the success we envision for the Jaguars and Downtown Jacksonville in the years to come,” Khan said Monday. “The Miller Electric Center will be at the epicenter of everything we do as a football team, as well as an organization, and we have great ambition on and off the field. I’m personally very grateful that Miller Electric is joining us and the entire Jacksonville community for the adventure ahead.”

The Jags’ facility construction is just one of many steps the city of Jacksonville is taking to revitalize the downtown area. It’s also one of the most important steps for the Jags’ stadium of the future project, which involves renovating TIAA Bank Field in the future. When the facility is built, it will allow the Jags organization to move out of the stadium and operate outside of it.

Plans to build the facility were unanimously approved by the Jacksonville City Council in August of last season. The project was reported to cost $120 million, with the Jags and city splitting the cost 50-50.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment. 

City of Jacksonville reviewing civil engineering plans for Downtown Shipyards Project

The board is expected to vote on May 12 on the final designs for Khan’s $321 million project.

Iguana Investments Florida LLC submitted civil engineering plans to the city of Jacksonville for the Shipyards Hotel & Residences and the office building it plans to construct near TIAA Bank Field. Iguana is the development affiliate of the Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan.

This news comes after PLC Construction was named the construction management group earlier this week. When PLC was announced as the construction management group, it was also revealed that the groundbreaking for the project was set for later this year.

In the plan, Iguana proposes a 174-room, 12-story hotel expected to be a Four Seasons with a parking garage below it along with a 25-unit, 12-story residential building, and a six-story office building.

The hotel and residences are planned on 5.1 acres and the office building is on the adjacent 2.97 acres. Both are addressed at 1406 Gator Bowl Boulevard.

The board is expected to vote on May 12 on the final designs for Khan’s $321 million project.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment. 

Jaguars owner Shad Khan opens up on why he fired Urban Meyer

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan said his decision to fire Urban Meyer didn’t come down to wins and losses.

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has been quite conservative when it comes to firing head coaches. He relieved Gus Bradley during his fourth season after he amassed a 14-48 overall record and then Doug Marrone who finished his Jaguars tenure with a 25-44 record after four seasons.

However, he didn’t have much patience for former head coach Urban Meyer who was canned after 13 games. Khan spoke with USA Today about why he decided to part ways so quickly with Meyer. The main reason for it stemmed from a lack of trust in him.

“When you lose the respect, the trust and an issue of truthfulness, how can you work with someone like that?” Khan said. “It’s not possible.”

Meyer made several missteps off the field as the Jags’ coach. The most notable was when he elected not to fly home with his team after losing to Cincinnati and then was caught dancing with another woman that wasn’t his wife at a bar. Khan dumped Meyer shortly after former Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo alleged that he kicked him as he stretched during pregame warmups.

“It was not about wins and losses,” Khan said. “I think when you know someone is not truthful, how can you be around someone, OK? We had Doug Marrone here four years. We had Gus Bradley here four years. I have nothing but the utmost respect and friendship with them. That’s why they got the time, because it wasn’t a matter about respect or truth. It was a matter of wins and losses over four years. This is much bigger than that.”

Jarrett Bell also reported that the Jaguars and Meyer still haven’t reached a settlement agreement after he was fired for cause. The report said Meyer’s contract with the Jags was a five-year deal worth $10-12 million per year.

Jags’ Shad Khan to meet with front office on Wednesday to go over upcoming draft selections

Shad Khan has been involved a little more this season after a disastrous 2021 season and will be helping Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson firm up their board on Wednesday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a big-time decision coming up this Thursday as they hold the top pick in the NFL Draft. With it being the second consecutive time they’ve done so, it’s a pick they must hit on if they are to climb from the bottom of the NFL.

After a disastrous season under Urban Meyer in 2022, owner Shad Khan has reportedly been at the Jags facility a lot more this offseason. He told Sports Illustrated that he will be returning to it on Wednesday to firm up the draft board and make sure everyone is on the same page heading into Thursday.

In the process, Khan will share his opinion on what direction the team should go in, and then after taking in what coach Doug Pederson, and general manager Trent Baalke have to say, they will decide on pick No. 1.

“Yeah, I have an opinion,” Khan told Sports Illustrated. “I do have an opinion. We are supposed to get together on Wednesday, and so I don’t have as firm a decision as I did maybe last year, but I do have it. I think we’ll have to really firm up the draft board, so we have clarity on all the permutations and combinations we’re gonna hit.”

When it comes to pick No. 1, it’s believed by some that Khan would prefer Michigan edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson. That would make a lot of sense because of how Hutchinson could help the Jags build the right culture. They already have that guy at quarterback in Trevor Lawrence, but more leaders are needed to make the Jags a respectable organization.

On the other hand, Pederson reportedly wants N.C. State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Baalke want Georgia defensive lineman Travon Walker. If that’s the case, it will be interesting to see what decision is made, but it’s ultimately Khan’s team, so he’s the biggest factor in the decision.

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will be published weekly, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast to hear the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and feel free to rate and comment.