JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It's been over five months since the Jacksonville Jaguars' season came to an end, and owner Shad Khan still can't fathom his team's end-of-season collapse.
"Not to be able to win two out of the last six games, it still stings even though the season is over. I still can't believe it at all," said Khan. "...Had this happened five years ago or 10 years ago, you would be patting yourself on the back. Now, it's like yes, you have a winning season, but we want to be in the playoffs every year."
Khan notes that the end-of-season collapse can't be put on a single area but on the organization as a whole.
"You win as an organization; you fail as an organization. So, I look at it as an organizational failure," said Khan. "...For me, it's really a cause for self-reflection, and then something good comes out of it, because we just can't have that happen this year."
Missing the playoffs was mainly the Jaguars' own doing, but Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud took the NFL by storm and led his team to its first divisional title since 2019, while claiming Rookie of the Year honors. Now, with the rising tide of other young teams, specifically in the AFC South Division, Khan says it's always important to make your own roster decisions based on other teams in the division.
"Everything we're doing is how do we stack up against the division. If you can't run the ball or stop the run in this division, you have no chance. Those are six games right there," said Khan. "...When I see what's going on over there (Houston), it's déjà vu for me a year ago. We were that golden-haired child last year."
Khan is now excited that, finally under his ownership, the Jaguars have a long-term solution at quarterback by signing Trevor Lawrence to a five-year contract extension worth $275 million, which will keep him in Jacksonville until the 2030 season.
"I think it's very comforting, and I think a lot of other teams are kind of envious of it. Because, if you look at it, there aren't many teams that can say the same," said Khan. "...I was comfortable committing (to Trevor Lawrence) a long time ago, and I told them. It's not my decision."
On top of that, Khan is excited to see the Jaguars re-sign key defensive players like outside linebacker Josh Allen and linebacker Foye Oluokun.
"He (Trevor Lawrence), Josh Allen and some of these players, their DNA is woven into this thing. That's what you want," said Khan.
A big part of re-signing Lawrence and Allen is that both are homegrown, meaning they've been drafted by Jacksonville and continue their careers here past their rookie contracts, and that's what Khan wants more of from his coaching staff.
"They have to develop young players. Our solution isn't going to be signing free agents every year. We don't have the ability," said Khan. "...Bottom line is that young talent has to be developed. The coaching staff's mindset has to change. That's where we are going to get our future players."
12 years into his ownership of the Jaguars, Khan is excited about the direction his team is finally headed in.
"We've had a decade to work on this... I'm grateful. I've had to be patient. It's painful that that's what we had to do," said Khan.