Jaguars put a pause on search for EVP, Will make additions to front office

The Jaguars will not be moving forward with the search for an Executive Vice President of Football Operations, owner Shad Khan said in a statement earlier today.

“I am pausing on the consideration of introducing an executive vice president of football,” Khan said in a statement. “In just over three weeks, Doug Pederson has instilled a structured and disciplined approach that is clearly making a difference in our culture and mindset.

“I feel we’re best served at this time by allowing Doug, Trent and their assistants to take ownership of our path forward. We will continue to explore the addition of personnel to other areas of our football operations to provide everyone the best chance to win.”

During the team’s introductory press conference for head coach Doug Pederson, Jaguars owner Shad Khan indicated that the team was currently in the process of hiring an EVP, stating that the team had already begun the motions of filing to the league office indicating as much.

“We have filed [a] request with the NFL for EVP, so we’ll be doing that process,” Khan said last month.

“But definitely I think the interview process, I mean, we got great insights on how the organization under Trent is structured. So we need depth there, simple as that, experience. Both of those are what we’re working on.”

When asked about the need for additional personnel within the front office in Jacksonville, Khan indicated the team is “definitely” going to be strengthening just that.

“We’re looking at additional people to strengthen the front office. Definitely, we’re going to be strengthening the front office. NFL has a process. We’ll be following that, interviewing people, then coming up with a structure that helps us win.”

That was the case when the process began and when Pederson was initially hired on Feb. 6, however, things change

Certainly, since Pederson was hired, things have changed. Khan has been able to assess the situation from a short distance, being in the building much more than in years past. He’s been able to see all of the work Pederson has put in, and how the franchise is running with Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke at the helm.

That was a major factor in Khan’s decision to reverse course and put the EVP search on hold for the foreseeable future, likely not to hire one at all this season. Still, the team will be in search of an assistant GM, along with other front-office members to bolster its group, the staffers in place already will remain, but more are on the way.

Though many have speculated that Khan lied about his intentions to bring in an EVP, those speculations are baseless for multiple reasons, including the fact that Khan release the statement at this time. He could have said nothing at all.

As of today, Khan does not feel the need to ruffle up the direction the franchise appears to be headed, adding another layer on top of what the team already has.

Essentially, the cards will play out however they do, but for now, Khan is willing to take a chance and allow Pederson to lead the team as he has done in the past with the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles.