Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan offered some harsh words when he spoke about how the team played down the stretch last season.
The Jaguars got off to an 8-3 start in 2023 but dropped five of their final six games and missed the playoffs.
Khan described last season's collapse as an "organizational failure."
"You fail as an organization," Khan said at a press conference Wednesday. "I look at it as an organizational failure. … When we talk to the players — Trevor (Lawrence), Josh (Allen), all of these players I talked to. It’s like, ‘How could this happen?'"
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Khan made his critical comments after the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville reached a $1.4 billion deal to renovate the team's stadium.
While the franchise's long-term future in Jacksonville is solidified, Khan also laid out the team's short-term goal.
"For us, winning now is the expectation," he said.
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The Jaguars dealt with injuries to multiple key players last season, including star quarterback Trevor Lawrence and wide receiver Christian Kirk. Khan acknowledged injuries play a role in the NFL, but he believes the Jaguars' shortcomings in 2023 spoke more to some of the organization's miscalculations.
"Injuries are a part of the game," Khan said. "We had some of those injuries, but I think it's organizational failure that it happened. All of these players I talked to, it's like how could this happen? What happened?"
Khan also noted that it "still stings" to think about how the team lost five of its last six games in 2023, but the organization has largely moved on from the disappointing finish.
Earlier this month, the Jaguars reaffirmed their belief in Lawrence by signing him to a record contract. The five-year deal will pay him an average of $55 million annually. The 24-year-old was the top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
While the Jaguars finished the 2022 and 2023 campaigns with identical 9–8 records, there were differences.
The Jaguars rallied late in the 2022 season to clinch the AFC South and overcame a 27-0 deficit to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in the playoffs. The Houston Texans, led by the 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, won the division last season, leaving the Jaguars on the outside looking in.
The Jaguars travel to South Florida in September to play the Miami Dolphins in what will be both teams' season opener. The Jaguars' first regular-season home game is scheduled for Sept. 15.
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