clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Jaguars owner Shad Khan talks future, Gene Smith

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan sat down with some reporters to talk more on the future of the franchise beyond the 2012 season.

Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan spoke more on the future of the franchise, somewhat touching on the issue of general manager Gene Smith's future with the team. Khan was asked about making sweeping changes during the season, given the team's standing at 1-7 and looking out matched in most of their games. After the Carolina Panthers surprisingly fired Marty Hurney in-season, it left many Jaguars fans wondering if Khan would follow suit.

"The other teams got to do what works for them," Khan told reporters on Wednesday. "I've got to do what works for us."

As discussed before, making a bold move like firing Gene Smith mid-season doesn't really help much, outside of satiating fan out cry for Smith's job. Khan was also asked if he would come out and publicly put the franchise on notice, such as what Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams did earlier this week.

"That's not something I would do," Khan told reporters in the interview session. "That's not me."

While Khan was continuously asked about Gene Smith, he continuously seemed to send the same message about waiting until the end of the season to make any changes and evaluating where the team was at before a decision was made.

"I've been here obviously half a season so this will be something for me to reflect on at the end of the season," Khan continued. "I want to see where we are as an organization. There are certain companies and organizations that win over time and certain companies and organizations that lose over time. It doesn't matter if it's auto parts or football. The most important thing for me is this becomes an organization that is going to win over time."

It's also worth mentioning that when Khan was asked if he signed off on Gene Smith receiving a three-year contract extension prior to the purchase of the Jaguars, Khan declined to talk specifics of the deal, noting it would be "irresponsible" to publicly talk about the performance of specific people.

According to Mark Long of the AP, Khan also made mention that despite reports of the Jaguars having the most cap space in the NFL, they're actually $17 million over the cap right now and have the sixth largest payroll in the league.