The Jacksonville Jaguars head coach search took way longer than many fans were hoping for, but in the end, they were somehow lucky enough to end up with a solid offensive mind in Doug Pederson. It was a search that probably not only took a toll on the fans, but the team’s future owner in Tony Khan, who sat in on every candidate’s interview (at least once) in person or virtually.
Needless to say, he became familiar with Pederson in the process and is excited to have his offensive and coaching knowledge in the building. In an interview with First Coast News, Khan had nothing but praise for the former Super Bowl winner and said he especially likes the fact that he’s and analytics and data-driven mind, which is something both share a passion for.
“I’m so analytics driven and data driven and Doug is a data driven coach, which was so important to me during the search,” Khan said. “Trent (Baalke) is very analytics driven from his time in San Francisco and went to the Super Bowl with a team where a lot of the team was built on stats.”
Fans have long known Khan’s commitment to the analytics and data aspect of the game, and the same applies to Pederson. In fact, the second time head coach added some help in the department this week by hiring Ryan Paganetti, who will serve as the Jags’ director of coaching analytics. He will join the team after working under Pederson throughout his whole run with Philadelphia as a head coach.
First Coast News also took the time out to ask Khan about the biggest question on the minds of Jags fans at the moment and that’s the status of their search for an executive vice president. And while he wasn’t able to provide much, Khan said he’d be helping with the search just as he did during the coaching search.
“I’m in there and we’re all working together and I think now with Doug in we have a great group of people that like working together with my dad and me, with Doug and Trent,” Khan said. “I think we’ll add an EVP and have a really good room.”
Khan told First Coast News that his father and team owner, Shad Khan, would have the final say on who is named the executive vice president, but it’s unknown when the decision will be made. The only known interview the Jags have had was with former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, but that was back in early February.
With the front office being understaffed, it seems like naming a new leader in the front office needs to happen sooner rather than later. Then again, maybe the plan is to hire the executive vice president after free agency and the draft, but based on general manager Trent Baalke’s past, it would be wise to have someone in place before then.
In this week’s episode of “Touchdown Jaguars!”we looked at the top needs for the Jags heading into the NFL Combine. Progressing forward, we will continue to put out weekly episodes, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast, which will discuss the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also feel free to rate and comment.
