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Already tied with the New York Giants for the worst record in the NFL, the Jacksonville Jaguars could be on the verge of making major changes to the organization based on the results of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.
Per NFL insider Josina Anderson, Jaguars owner Shad Khan “prefers to wait” until after the season to make any big decisions, but “change is possibly coming” if they get “blown out” by the Lions.
It’s unclear how big the blowout would have to be for the Jaguars to make any of these decisions. There has already been speculation about head coach Doug Pederson’s job after a 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears in London on Oct. 13.
The timing of that would have been awkward because the Jaguars stayed in London for another game the following week against the New England Patriots, which Jacksonville won 32-16 in arguably the team’s best all-around performance of the season.
It would have been odd to fire Pederson after winning a game. There have been plenty of opportunities to move on from him since that victory, as the Jaguars have lost their last three games.
All three losses have been close, coming by a combined margin of 13 points, but the play all season long has been extremely sloppy. They are tied with the Cleveland Browns for the fourth-worst turnover margin in the league.
Of course, the main person to keep an eye on his general manager Trent Baalke. Pederson gets most of the attention as the head coach, but Baalke is in his fourth season as the full-time general manager and fifth season working in the front office.
Baalke has overseen the hiring of Urban Meyer in 2021 before he was fired after 13 games before bringing Pederson onboard in February 2022. His track record in the draft is questionable.
Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 overall in 2021) has been up and down, but overall qualifies as a solid pick. Brian Thomas Jr. (No. 23 overall in 2024) looks like a potential star already. The decision to use the top pick in the 2022 draft on Travon Walker, ahead of Aidan Hutchinson, Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley Jr., was questionable at the time and looks disastrous in hindsight.
The Jaguars are 23-38 since the start of the 2021 season. They had back-to-back winning years in 2022 and 2023, winning the AFC South in 2022. Their 2023 season ended with six losses in their last seven games after an 8-3 start.
As things currently stand, the Jaguars would have the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft. No team in NFL history has ever had the No. 1 overall pick three different times in a five-year span.
There would seem to be a high potential for a blowout on Sunday. Lawrence has already been ruled out due to a shoulder injury, so Mac Jones will make his second consecutive start.
The Lions will be playing at home where they have scored a total of 94 points in their last two games in wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans.
After this week would also be an opportune time for the Jaguars to make any changes because their bye is in Week 12, so they could get any interim coaches or executives acclimated before the team plays against the Houston Texans on Dec. 1.