Can Changing His Management Style Help Shahid Khan Win a Super Bowl?

Abstract

The Jacksonville Jaguars’ have greatly improved as a company since Shahid Khan purchased the team. Before he purchased the franchise, less than 1% of NFL viewers claimed that the Jaguars were their favorite team. This time period also saw the Jaguars being identified as the least valuable team in the NFL at well under $800 million USD. This daunting challenge did not phase Khan, as his off-the-field activities saved the Jaguars’ reputation as a business and led to the club becoming more valuable than a quarter of the NFL. In addition to this, the franchise has been able to improve the power and value of its branding by playing games in London, England, United Kingdom every season. However, the franchise’s on-field performance has been abysmal, and the same managerial style that Khan uses to improve the Jaguars as a company has led to it failing as an NFL football team that is rarely in postseason contention. This paper will compare Khan’s management style to that of Jerry Jones, a Hall of Fame owner that has been able to turn the Dallas Cowboys into a multi-billion dollar business and a consistent playoff contender. Since Jones has been able to balance both sides of the NFL coin, this paper will ask whether or not Khan could ever do the same.