Jacksonville Jaguars
Season In Review
OWNER SHAD KHAN LOOKS AHEAD
On Jan. 4, 2021, Owner Shad Khan addressed the media and discussed
his vision for the future of the franchise.
“I think we have a great group of young players,” said Khan. “We’re
going to have a lead franchise quarterback. You can’t have a mindset
[of] this is a rebuild and it’s going to take time, etc. We have to have a
mindset [that] we’re building for the long haul, but you have to be able
to win at the same time.”
“I think team culture is about winning,” Khan added. “If you look at it, it’s
ancient history but three years ago, we were in the [AFC] Championship
game. That really is a key lesson. It’s about culture, which is about
sustaining winning.”
2020 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE
Date Opponent Time/(TV)/Result
Sun. Sept. 13 vs. Indianapolis Colts W, 27-20
Sun. Sept. 20 at Tennessee Titans L, 33-30
Thurs. Sept. 24 vs. Miami Dolphins L, 31-13
Sun. Oct. 4 at Cincinnati Bengals L, 33-25
Sun. Oct. 11 at Houston Texans L, 30-14
Sun. Oct. 18 vs. Detroit Lions L, 34-16
Sun. Oct. 25 at Los Angeles Chargers L, 39-29
Sun. Nov. 1 BYE WEEK —
Sun. Nov. 8 vs. Houston Texans L, 27-25
Sun. Nov. 15 at Green Bay Packers L, 24-20
Sun. Nov. 22 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers L, 27-3
Sun. Nov. 29 vs. Cleveland Browns L, 27-25
Sun. Dec. 6 at Minnesota Vikings L, 27-24 (OT)
Sun. Dec. 13 vs. Tennessee Titans L, 31-10
Sun. Dec. 20 at Baltimore Ravens L, 40-14
Sun. Dec. 27 vs. Chicago Bears L, 41-17
Sun. Jan. 3 at Indianapolis Colts L, 28-14
2020 SEASON QUICK HITS
- OFFENSE –
• RB James Robinson rushed for 1,070 yards and seven TDs this season,
becoming the third rookie in franchise history to rush for at least 1,000
yards in a season. Robinson was the only rookie in the NFL to average
more than 100 scrimmage yards per game in 2020, joining RBs Josh
Jacobs (2019) and Saquon Barkley (2018) as the only rookies to do so
over the last three seasons. An undrafted product out of Illinois State,
Robinson totaled 1,414 scrimmage yards, the most by any undrafted
rookie in NFL history.
• WR DJ Chark Jr. recorded a team-leading 706 receiving yards and
five TDs, marking his second consecutive season as the team’s leading
receiver. Through four seasons, Chark has caught 140 passes for 1,888
yards and 13 TDs. His 1,888 receiving yards are the third-most by a
Jaguars player (trailing only WR Allen Robinson and WR Allen Hurns)
through their first 39 career games.
• WR Laviska Shenault Jr. caught 58 passes for 600 yards and five TDs
in his rookie season. Shenault’s 58 receptions were the second-most in
team history by a rookie, and he was the third rookie in franchise history
to total at least 600 receiving yards and five receiving TDs. The University
of Colorado product concluded his rookie campaign with six catches for
68 yards and two TDs in the season finale at Indianapolis.
• OL Jawaan Taylor started every game this season at right tackle,
becoming the seventh player in franchise history to start 32 games
through their first two seasons. Taylor, who did not miss a snap for the
second consecutive year, joins OL Brad Meester as the only offensive
players to start all 16 games in each of their first two seasons. - DEFENSE –
• LB Joe Schobert finished the 2020 season with 141 tackles, the secondmost among AFC players and the fourth-most in the NFL. Schobert’s 141
tackles were the most by a Jaguars player since LB Paul Posluszny (162)
in 2013. He totaled a team-leading three INTs and is one of two players
(Cardinals LB Jordan Hicks) in the NFL to post at least 140 tackles and three INTs over the last five seasons (2016-20).
• LB Myles Jack finished second on the team with a career-high 118 tackles (72 solo), two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Through
five seasons in the NFL, Jack has 403 tackles (254 solo), 6.5 sacks, four
fumble recoveries and three INTs.
• DL Dawuane Smoot finished the 2020 season with a team-leading
5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The fourth-year defensive linemen
recorded 4.0 of his 5.5 sacks and both forced fumbles in the last six
weeks (12-17) of the season.
• S Jarrod Wilson was named a defensive captain and started 12 games
at safety. He registered 69 tackles and three passes defensed, including
one INT. Wilson also was named the team’s nominee for the Athletes
in Action Bart Starr Award, which honors the NFL player who best
exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the
field and in the community. - SPECIAL TEAMS –
• P Logan Cooke finished the season with a 43.2 net punting average, the
third-highest mark in the AFC. Through three seasons with the Jaguars,
Cooke has totaled a 42.9 net punting average, the highest in franchise
history.
• WR Keelan Cole Sr. returned a punt 91 yards for a TD in Week 10,
marking the longest punt return by any player in the NFL this season.
By The Numbers
1
The Jaguars hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft for
the first time in franchise history. In addition, the team has two
first-round selections for the second consecutive season and for
the fourth time in franchise history.
3
LB Joe Schobert recorded a team-leading three INTs in his first
season with the Jaguars in 2020. Schobert, who also added 2.5
sacks, joined LBs Paul Posluszny (2012) and Mike Peterson (2005)
as the only players in franchise history to record multiple sacks
and at least three INTs in a season.
19
The Jaguars rookie class scored 19 total TDs, the most by any
rookie class in the NFL in 2020 and the second-most by a rookie
class in franchise history. RB James Robinson (seven rushing,
three receiving), WR Laviska Shenault Jr. (five receiving), WR
Collin Johnson (two receiving), QB Jake Luton (one rushing) and
S Daniel Thomas (one blocked punt return) all scored TDs for
Jacksonville. In five of the team’s final six games, a rookie scored
at least one TD.
49
RB James Robinson caught 49 passes for 344 yards in 2020,
marking the most receptions by any rookie running back in the
NFL this season. Robinson’s 49 receptions are the most by any
rookie running back in franchise history, while he, RB Maurice
Jones-Drew (2006) and RB Fred Taylor (1998) are the only rookies
in team annals to record at least 40 receptions and 500 rushing
yards in a season.
58
WR Laviska Shenault Jr. caught 58 passes in his rookie season,
the second-most by any rookie receiver in franchise history. The
University of Colorado product totaled 600 receiving yards and
five TDs, while also adding 91 rushing yards. Shenault and RB
James Robinson (49 receptions, 1,070 rushing yards) were the
only two rookies in the NFL this season with at least 49 receptions
and 90 rushing yards.
101.0
RB James Robinson registered 101.0 scrimmage yards per game,
becoming the first undrafted rookie in NFL history to average at
least 100 scrimmage yards (min. four games) per game. Robinson
totaled at least 100 scrimmage yards in seven of his 14 games,
which was tied for the sixth-most such games in the NFL this
season.
700
WR DJ Chark Jr. recorded 706 receiving yards and five TDs in 2020,
marking his second consecutive season with 700-plus yards and
five TDs. Chark is the fourth wide receiver in franchise history to
post back-to-back seasons with at least 700 yards and five TDs,
joining Allen Robinson, Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell.
2,106
OL Jawaan Taylor has been the only Jaguars player to not miss an
offensive snap since 2019. Taylor is one of six NFL offensive linemen
in the NFL to participate in 100 percent of their team’s snaps since
2019.
2,400
The Jaguars rookie class totaled a league-leading 2,400 scrimmage
yards in 2020. Jacksonville’s 2,400 scrimmage yards by rookies
were the second-most in franchise history
JAGUARS OWNER SHAD KHAN
Monday, January 4, 2021
(Opening statement) “Good morning, everyone. I think before we begin, I want to acknowledge and really thank everyone who has helped the Jaguars navigate the COVID-19 virus and kept our team healthy. Our medical group, athletic trainers as well as the players and the coaches, all did an exceptional job of creating, protecting each other, from the first day of training all the way through yesterday’s game. I also want to salute our front office and City of Jacksonville for producing a safe and enjoyable experience for all the home games throughout the season. We were one of the very few teams in the NFL that had fans in attendance for all of our home games and obviously, that’s a great credit to the City of Jacksonville and the Jaguars staff. Thank you very much for all you did. And finally,
and most importantly, I do want to commend and applaud everyone who loves the Jaguars and who supported us throughout this year. The turnout was fantastic and no matter what, our fans stuck with us and it was amazing to see everyone. So, thank you. I think as you know, we are making a change with our head coach. I spoke to Doug [Marrone] this morning and I’m grateful for what Doug did, serving the city with grace, and he cared a lot about the Jaguars and the people here in Jacksonville. And really, I think it was difficult, but really the right thing to do. I wish Doug, Helen and his family well and I’m sure that he’s going to enjoy success in his next job. So
now, we’ll continue our search for our new general manager and it’ll also be time for us to find a head coach for the Jaguars. So, thanks again for joining me and I’m happy now to take your questions.”
(On how critical it is to make the right decisions in filling the two positions) “Well, I think— you know, Mark—I mean, yes, this is our second search for general manager in the nine years I’ve been there and Doug was with us for 4 years as head coach. So I think we’ve worked with them, we’ve been patient, given them all the resources. But certainly, I’m committed to do a wide search and make sure we have the right people to help us win.”
(On whether these are the best two jobs available in the NFL right now) “Well, I certainly think there’s a huge amount of interest in this, much more so than the last time around. And I also look at really— we’re in a much different, and I would say a better position today than we were a year ago. A little over a year ago, as you well know—and I think you reported—we did have team disharmony and we were— for lack of a better word—salary cap hell. I think today, I frankly thought that we would do better. We
won six games last year [2019], but you know, certainly we have a lot of salary cap availability along with the draft picks and obviously the number one pick. But what’s evaded the history of the Jags, really, has been a franchise quarterback. And I think what’s unique, certainly, is that we have the ability now to make a choice and it’s going to define the franchise moving forward.”
(On what he’s learned over the years in terms of what he might be looking for in these two open positions) “Well, I think obviously you want the harmony and the mission, the goal that we’re here to win. I think for me, somebody—a proven leader who understands not only the basics of football, the blocking and tackling, but more importantly the modern football. Some of the things, the new football— but more importantly, handling the 21st century athlete at the same time. So, the old and the new, I
think, are absolutely vital. And then being able to attract really the right staff, I think that is a key element. You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with. So who they can attract and really the approach is going to be very, very important for us.”
(On whether he’ll hire a head coach first, before a general manager) “Well, I’ll tell you, I think ideally, you want to hire them about the same time. What I learned, and I think it’s really true, it doesn’t get quite the visibility, but the current environment is, the head coaches, the kind of coaches you want, they want to be able to work very closely with the general manager on the personnel side. The key thing, how we would be structuring this is that I’m going to have the general manager and the head coach report directly to me. And that way, really, you have the transparency and the needs and concerns of both parties without really getting filtered or have a chain of command. And that’s really what necessitates that you basically hire them about the same time and really you have a perfect alignment,
which you need in a winning organization.”
(On the timing of when he plans to hire and what he’s looking for in the general manager position) “Well first of all, on timing, I think this is something that we’re not doing that often, so we’re going to take our
time to make sure we’ve looked far and wide and really at a whole variety of candidates. So I really can’t give you the timing, unless when it’s right, obviously, we’ll be sharing it with you. Now, on the general manager search, I mean, we’ve interviewed people who were available. But there are a number of them who are unavailable due to the league rules, and today we’ll be turning in our request to be able to interview some of those. So really, this process is going to be running in parallel and certainly, we’ll keep you [updated] whenever we have something worthwhile.”
(On who is involved in helping you make these hiring decisions) “Well, I’ve gone through the rite of passage as a new owner coming into the league. The advisors, consultants, whatever, we did that. This time around, I think I have a much better sense myself. So I am the key decision-maker, but we do have people at the Jaguars. Mark Lamping would be one who will be working with these people, so they will be involved from that viewpoint. But when it comes to who the key decision maker is going to be, I
mean, you’re looking at him.”
(On what specific qualifications he’s looking for in a new head coach, whether he’ll be looking at anyone in the collegiate level and whether he can address the Urban Meyer rumors) “Well, I think all of that. If you look at some of the successful head coaches in the NFL, four years ago you probably had not heard of them. So I think there’s a lot of talent out there, and frankly we want to look at all of that. So, I mean, if there are assistants, proven head coaches, all of that, we’ll be looking at. And on the rumor of Urban Meyer, obviously, I’ve known Urban over the years through Big Ten and what have you. But we have not spoken to anyone about this job or even, obviously, interviewed him. I mean, this is something—just made the decision this morning. So, you know there is—and I’ll leave it at that.”
(On if he had conversations with any candidates about the head coaching position before last weekend) “I think no. I sat with Doug [Marrone] for two hours after the Bears game to really [talk]. One of the things or concerns I had [was that] we’ve had six starting quarterbacks over the last three years. It’s very clear that obviously that’s been something sorely missing, how we would develop them, and what is the criteria on that. We haven’t had a job until this morning, an opening, so it would be pointless to talk
about interviewing, let alone seriously considering someone.”
(On if he saw Doug Marrone as the head coach for the future after the Bears game) “No, I mean I was looking to really what is the right thing for the Jaguars moving forward.”
(On the importance of finding candidates who emphasize team culture) “I think team culture is about winning. If you look at it, it’s ancient history but three years ago we were in the [AFC] Championship game. That really is a key lesson. It’s about culture, which is about sustaining winning. It’s a little bit different than managing losing. So that is obviously an aspect of that. You want to be able to win but then you want to be able to sustain that moving forward.”
(On if he regrets bringing former Head Coach Doug Marrone and former General Manager Dave Caldwell back for the 2020 season) “Not at all. No, I don’t, and I’ll tell you why. When I sat down with them after [former Jaguars Executive Vice President of Football Operations] Tom [Coughlin]’s departure, both of them expressed a desire that they want to be able to demonstrate what they can do working together. Also, as I mentioned earlier, we had serious issues with the team, so who better to help clean it up [than] who were part of that, really creating the mess. That would include me. So it was the three of us really need to join hands. You want to win but you want to set the foundation, and that was how do we help the players who don’t want to be there exit, and exit with the right value for the Jaguars? Then who are the players, maybe veterans, how do we identify them who’d be better off going someplace else and it would bring salary cap and draft picks we could invest in new players. That was done earlier, or last year, this season and then some of the capital obviously we have for the future. They played a role but we’re not where we would be where we could sustain or extend them.”
(On the timeline of hiring a head coach and general manager) “I think you have to have a sense. Both of them have to know who’s going to be the other person. To me, that is really a critical point. I think I can also share with you that last season, especially after Tom [Coughlin]’s departure, he had the roster control, so I kept the roster control. The candidates, the general manager candidates, I’ve been talking to them, [I told them that] for the immediate future I’m going to keep the roster control. I want the coach to know that also. It’s not really [about] who’s coming in, but it’s to really have a rhythm that everybody’s aligned on who might be leaving the team and who might be coming in, at least for the immediate future. Those are some of nuances that I want to make sure that everybody’s on board with
because I think it’s really important here that we don’t head off in a wrong direction with an imbalance in power, for lack of a better word. So I hope that kind of explains some of the logic.”
(On hiring a person of color) “I want to get the best person for the job. I think diversity is very important to me for many, many different reasons. I think we’re going to look far and wide, but I think what’s most important is this inflection point for the franchise we have the best leaders, I say general manager as well as the head coach.”
(On if diversity is a priority or consideration for the positions) “I think it’s a consideration to really get the best person and then how do we move the needle on diversity? There are many, many different ways of doing that. It could be assistants. It could be other things that we can do to really [have
diversity]. Diversity is a major significant issue I think for the NFL, but [if] you hire not the best person just because of color, you’re not helping the franchise or the diversity. I’ve gone through this diversity issue in the auto parts space for 40-some years and you don’t want to set up a person of color to fail. You don’t want to set them up to fail, you want to set them up to succeed. That whole nuance I think is very, very important to me and I think it has to play in, but [it] doesn’t mean that absolutely it has to be
a person of color who’s going to be the top person.”
(On his management approach going forward and having roster control) “The roster control is [because] you don’t want players going in and out or contracts given until you’re aware of that. So striking the balance between delegation and abdication, I think, is an important point. Certainly, I found that in the last 15 months, having that necessitates a conversation, you’re part of the conversation with the GM and the head coach. So being part of that here for the immediate future I think is important to me.”
(On his decisions being based on short-term success or a long-term rebuild) “If you look at it, I think you want to have both. Four years ago, when we did the search [for a head coach], the mindset really was with the head coaches I interviewed was we need a rebuild, we need extra time, we need this, we need that. We’d won three games, my mindset was we have talent here, what would you do, etc., etc.? The most success we’ve had came right after that. I think we have a great group of young players. Obviously we’re going to have a lead franchise quarterback. You can’t have a mindset [of] this is a rebuild and it’s going to take time, etc. We have to have a mindset [that] we’re building for the long haul, but you have to be able to win at the same time.”
(On the future of the rest of the coaching staff and the importance of finding a coach who has a history of working with young quarterbacks) “I think obviously developing a young quarterback, we’ve been very unsuccessful at that. [The] last eight years, we haven’t had a franchise quarterback, so I think that is very, very important. The assistant coaches, the ones that are under contract, we’re going to keep them. We have some good coaches here. I want the head coach, whoever that might be, to be able to look at that and retain some of them, but that would be obviously the head coach’s decision.”
