In the 41 games he’s owned the Jacksonville Jaguars, Shad Khan has only been able to enjoy six wins.
Despite that, he’s enthusiastic about the direction of his team, and said during their latest trip to London that he has full confidence in General Manager Dave Caldwell and coach Gus Bradley, and will give them money to spend next year to prove it.
“That is very, very encouraging to me,” Khan said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “I have a huge amount of confidence in Dave and Gus and they’re encouraged. Some of these players are the future of the franchise and they will be with us for a long time. It’s very, very important they mature, but we want them to mature quicker.”
The good news is they’ve apparently found their quarterback of the future in Blake Bortles, even if he has had to play sooner than they had hoped. But they hope to give him a better chance next year, by virtue of a pile of cap room.
“We were active this year – look at our defensive line, which is pretty good, and they’re mostly free agents,” Khan said. “We’re going to be very active for a number of reasons. Other teams don’t have the luxury we have – they have constraints and can’t sign everyone. We’ll be on the flip side. . . .
“Our goal is to strengthen the team to win and free agency is going to be a big part of the solution for us. And now we have character. We know the type of team we have, whether with Blake Bortles or some of the receivers — we know where the weaknesses are. We won’t be just getting people and hoping they blend in. We’ll have specific needs and we can match that with whoever is available.”
The fact they’ll be eager to spend is also a good advertisement for potential free agents, who can decide how interested they are in a team looking to make a splash.
