‘I’m not going to give up’: Looking at Shad Khan’s 10 years as Jaguars owner

Tuesday marks the 10-year anniversary since NFL owners approved his purchase of the team

Owner Shad Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars looks on before the start of a game against the Tennessee Titans at TIAA Bank Field on September 19, 2019 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) (JAMES GILBERT PHOTO, 2019 Getty Images)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Shad Khan’s time as the Jaguars owner has been filled with more downs than ups.

The product on the field has been largely underwhelming during his 10 years as an NFL owner. The Jaguars have had nine losing seasons in his time and just one playoff berth. Khan’s 41-116 record is woeful.

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Jacksonville’s draft history in his time has included multiple first-round whiffs (Luke Joeckel, CJ Henderson, Taven Bryan), bad free agent deals (Nick Foles, Julius Thomas) and bad re-signings (Blake Bortles).

The football portion ... the wins, the losses, the losing streaks ... has pockmarked Khan’s time as an NFL owner, something he’s well aware of. But when NFL owners officially approved Khan’s purchase of the team from Wayne Weaver on at 2:37 p.m. on Dec. 14, 2011 — 10 years ago today — it ushered in a new era for Jacksonville.

“I mean, I’ve had a lot of failures in life, OK,” Khan said in a small gathering of local media on Monday afternoon. “They were not on the sports page. So you, you know, you look at it, you get up like football, you dust yourself off, and you have another go at it. ...

“I mean, it’s frustrating, but the fact is, I’m not going to give up.”

Khan became the first man of color to own an NFL franchise. And he promised Weaver at the time that he had no interest in relocating the franchise, something Weaver said at the time was significant in his decision.

Off the field, Khan has brought stability to the franchise. He’s invested in the city with long-term deals like the Shipyards. Khan’s commitment has also put to rest the constant speculation about Jacksonville relocating to London. Once a popular topic, there’s little to no buzz about the Jaguars moving now.

Jaguars team president Mark Lamping said Monday that Khan’s commitment to Jacksonville has changed the national mindset on the Jaguars becoming a surefire bet to leave town.

“You judge that team based on the wins and losses, and it’s the single most important thing. But don’t think for a moment the path to keeping a team in a city is team performance. Just look at the facts. San Diego moved, Oakland moved, the Rams moved. All have been to Super Bowls, and two or three have won Super Bowls, OK,” Lamping said.

“Their issues all had to do with stadiums. So yes, winning is the most important thing. But it’s not the only thing. And it’s the accumulation of all those things that Shad has done since he’s been here that leads to the national narrative, which is we don’t talk about the Jaguars moving anymore because Shad is not behaving like an owner who’s going to move a team. We know how they behave because we see that in other markets. Shad doesn’t behave that way.”

Khan said in a gathering with a small group of local media that football isn’t what he’s the most proud of during his time as an NFL owner. Not even close. Khan said that the Jacksonville City Council approving the city’s Human Rights Ordinance in 2018 remains his most compelling win for the city.

“HRO passing in Jacksonville. If we had even won the Super Bowl, I told the players that that would still be No. 2 thing for me. Why? Because what the team and what the players did put us in a position to get enough votes to get HRO passed. We had tried before that and failed, OK. And those players who they affected are people you’re not gonna know. I mean, it’s really kind of surprising. But we’re talking about 2018 I think when we got it passed, largest city in America beats back a Human Rights Ordinance all the time. ...,” Khan said.

“Now the players who are in the room, I mean, they’re rich, maybe they’re not going to get impacted. The people we don’t know, people of color, whether it’s brown, black, whatever, the gender preference, you know, a number of other things, religious and so on. They don’t have protection, OK, by law. So, to have moved the needle by, that season gave us the credibility with the City Council to get it done.”

A look back at moments during Khan’s time as owner of the Jaguars.

Nov. 29, 2011

Wayne Weaver announces that he plans to sell the Jaguars to Khan for $760 million. Weaver also announced the firing of coach Jack Del Rio.

On Nov. 29, Wayne Weaver announced he was firing head coach Jack Del Rio, but also that he was going to sell the team to a Illinois businessman Shahid Khan.

Dec. 5, 2011

The first game for Khan after the announcement was made about his purchase of the franchise from longtime owner Wayne Weaver. The Jaguars lost to the Chargers, 38-14.

Dec. 11, 2011

At 2:37 p.m., the NFL made it official with a tweet that NFL owners had approved Khan’s purchase of the Jaguars. The purchase price of the Jaguars was $760 million.

New Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan, right, stands by as team founder Wayne Weaver speaks about owning the team during a news conference at the NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011. The sale from franchise founder Wayne Weaver to the Pakistani-born Khan was unanimously approved Wednesday. The deal reportedly is for $760 million. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (Associated Press)

Dec. 15, 2011

The 14th game of the season for the Jaguars, who were then playing under interim coach Mel Tucker. It was the first game after NFL owners voted to approve Khan’s purchase of the Jaguars. The team lost 41-14.

Sept. 9, 2012

In the first official game of the Khan era, the Jaguars lost in OT to the Vikings, 26-23. QB Blaine Gabbert was 23 of 39 passing for 260 yards and two touchdowns.

Sept. 23, 2012

Khan gets his first win as Jacksonville’s owner when the team beats the Colts on the road, 22-17.

Dec. 30, 2012

Khan’s first season as an owner is a tough one. The Jaguars wrap up a terrible season with a 38-20 loss to the Titans. Jacksonville is 2-14 that season.

July 12, 2013

Khan went for more football, this time, purchasing the Fulham F.C. soccer team of the Premier League from previous owner, Mohamed Al Fayed. Forbes reported the purchase price as $300 million.

Jan. 9, 2017

Khan hires the first coach in Jaguars history, Tom Coughlin, as the team’s executive vice president of football operations. He also promotes Doug Marrone to head coach.

File-This photo taken Aug. 29, 2019, shows Tom Coughlin, executive vice president of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars watching players warm up before an NFL preseason football game in Jacksonville, Fla. Owner Shad Khan has a decision to make about the Jaguars (4-7), who are on the verge of missing the playoffs for the 11th time in the last 12 years. Khan hired Coughlin and head coach Doug Marrone at the same time in 2017, adding them to incumbent general manager Dave Caldwell and creating a triumvirate that worked well for two seasons. It now appears to be falling apart. Marrone took a shot at Coughlin on Tuesday, the first clear sign of internal strife. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Dec. 24, 2017

The Jaguars lose 44-33 to San Francisco but wrap up the AFC South title in the process, clinching the first playoff berth under Khan.

Jan. 7, 2018

In the team’s first playoff game, the Jaguars use a ferocious defense to beat Buffalo, 10-3, in front of a wild home crowd.

Jan. 14, 2018

Behind three rushing TDs from Leonard Fournette, the Jaguars go on the road and upset the Steelers, 45-42 in the AFC divisional round.

Jan. 21, 2018

The Jaguars led by 10 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t stave off Tom Brady in a 24-20 loss to the Patriots in the AFC championship game.

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots shakes hands with Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars after the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) (Getty Images)

Dec. 18, 2019

Khan announces the firing of Coughlin after a series of blunders, including a rebuke from the NFL Players Association on advising free agents to not sign with the team. Coughlin had handed out excessive fines to players.

Feb. 4, 2020

Khan announces that the Jaguars will move a second home game to London beginning in 2020, a move that drew massive pushback from local fans. The Jaguars had played a home game in London every season since 2013. Due to the pandemic, the plan for international games was scrapped in 2020.

Jan. 3, 2021

The Jaguars lose to the Colts, 28-14, to wrap up the worst season in the franchise’s 26-year history. Khan had fired general manager Dave Caldwell after the team’s 10th straight loss. A day after the season-ending defeat to the Colts, Khan fired Marrone.

FILE - Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone speaks to members of the media during a post-game press conference after an NFL football game between the Jaguars and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Jacksonville, Fla., in this, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, file photo. The Jaguars have fired coach Doug Marrone a little more than 12 hours after ending the season with a 15th consecutive loss. It was a move many thought owner Shad Khan should have made at the end of 2019. The Jaguars canceled Marrones season-ending news conference scheduled for Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton, File) (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Jan. 12, 2021

The Jacksonville City Council voted against Khan’s Lot J proposal, putting an end to what had been a year of conversation and renderings about the expansive development downtown.

Jan. 14, 2021

The biggest coaching hire in franchise history becomes official when the Jaguars announce the hire of college football coaching legend Urban Meyer.

April 29, 2021

Jacksonville drafted its quarterback of the future with the No. 1 overall selection, Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence is one of the highest-rated NFL prospects ever. He’s expected to bring stability to the position that has lacked during Khan’s period as team owner.

Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence holds up a jersey after being selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the first pick in the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 29, 2021, in Seneca, S.C. (Logan Bowles/NFL via AP) (2021 Logan Bowles)

June 3, 2021

The Jaguars and Khan laid out a $441 million plan to redevelop The Shipyards and bring a Four Seasons Hotel to the downtown banks of the St. Johns River. The first phase would create 7,500 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs, according to the team. The City Council unanimously voted in favor of the agreement on Oct. 12.

Oct. 17, 2021

The Jaguars break the second-longest losing streak in NFL history with a 53-yard field goal from Matthew Wright with no time left to beat the Dolphins 23-20 in London. The 20 straight losses rank second in modern NFL history, trailing only the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 26 in 1976-77.

By the numbers

9

Quarterbacks who have started games since Khan became owner. A look at those players and how many games they started during Khan’s time as Jaguars owner.

Blake Bortles (73), Chad Henne (22), Gardner Minshew (20), Trevor Lawrence (13), Blaine Gabbert (13), Mike Glennon (5), Cody Kessler (4), Nick Foles (4) and Jake Luton (3).

.261

Winning percentage of Khan since he became the owner of the Jaguars.

760

Million that Khan paid Wayne Weaver for the Jaguars when the deal was finalized in early 2012.

2.8

Billion that Forbes values the Jaguars at in 2021. The team increased in value by 14% from a year earlier.


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.