After going from the worst record in the NFL in 2021 to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2022, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan believes his team has finally found a recipe for sustained success.
It is a pretty obvious recipe.
Have a good coach. Have a good general manager. And most importantly, have a good quarterback.
“The vibe I get is I think we’ve cracked the code,” Khan said this week, via the team’s website. “We have a great head coach, we have a great general manager, and we have a great quarterback. That’s the trifecta for success in the NFL.”
Everything clicked for the Jaguars as they went on a roll in the second half of the past season, not only stealing the division away from the Tennessee Titans, but additionally winning a Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence started to play up to the hype that comes with being selected as a No. 1 overall pick while a busy offseason which included once more the No. 1 overall pick in the draft (Trayvon Walker) produced immediate results.
The most important change might have come on the sidelines with head coach Doug Pederson, who had to clean up the overall mes that came during Urban Meyer’s reign of error.
Pederson brought immediate credibility to the Jaguars’ organization, something that Meyer not only lacked, but only made worse during his disastrous year on the job.
The Jaguars had some brief success a few years ago, but it was short-lived largely because the team did not have the quarterback or the coaching staff to sustain it. Lawrence, however, should be the franchise answer that Blake Bortles was not, while Pederson already has a Super Bowl title on his resume.
For the coming season, the Jaguars will return a young team on the rise while addding former first-round wide receiver Calvin Ridley (among others) to the mix. With the AFC South looking very winnable, Jacksonville should be the early favorites to take it again in 2023-24.
