When the Jaguars begin their search for the fourth head coach in franchise history, one person that won't be much of a factor will be owner Shahid Khan. At least, that's what he told reporters on Thursday following the introductory press conference of new general manager Dave Caldwell.
"I think you'll have to talk to him, and I think he'll have a list," Khan said when asked who Caldwell will want as head coach. "Frankly I haven't even seen the list, and then he will narrow it down and then like we did with Gene a year ago probably the final two, three candidates I'll kind of sit in because I think they're going to be the face of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think I want to render an opinion on it, but he will lead the search."
On Thursday, Caldwell made the decision to fire Mike Mularkey as head coach of the Jaguars and the team will now be on the hunt for the team's fourth head coach in franchise history. While Khan won't be very involved in the search, he did reveal how in-depth his search for a new GM was. The Jaguars owner said that he consulted with "maybe 100" people before deciding that Caldwell was the first candidate to target.
Other teams deliberated and found out that Caldwell was the top candidate as well, according to Khan, but it was too late. "Well frankly with all due modesty I think I did my homework better. People came to that conclusion a week later after they had talked to a lot of people."
Caldwell previously served as the director of player personnel for the Atlanta Falcons and had scouting experience with the Colts and Panthers. In the last 10 consecutive seasons, Caldwell has been a part of a team that finished with a winning record.