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Why Jacksonville Jaguars should consider Tony Boselli as next executive VP | Gene Frenette
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- Why Jacksonville Jaguars should consider Tony Boselli as next executive VP | Gene Frenette
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan left the door slightly ajar Monday to the idea of adding a significant layer to his organizational structure.
He didn't completely slam shut the idea of possibly bringing in an executive vice president, someone who would have meaningful input and influence on how the Jaguars operate at the top with GM Trent Baalke and whoever comes in as the new head coach .
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Khan didn't invest more than a few seconds addressing what should be a legitimate consideration for the Jaguars. Though the 74-year-old billionaire has never been a fan of adding layers to his football leadership, it was telling that he kept an open mind about hiring an EVP, without even hinting at how that might impact Baalke's standing.
More: Jacksonville Jaguars original owner Wayne Weaver turns 90: Among city's greatest influencers
"Well, it's got to be the right person," said Khan. "Frankly, we need to add some people. We're lean, but if you look at the football side, we've added people, we've changed some people and if we find the right person, definitely."
It was a rather vague, almost conflicting, response, an indication Khan may want to wait until the dust settles from what could be a month-long coaching search to consider that option. Or maybe Khan was simply giving faint hope to fans still fuming about Baalke remaining employed.
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For now, it's just another part of the water-cooler conversation about the Jaguars' ongoing drama, including how the media (especially national talking heads) continue to be fixated on the polarizing Baalke.
If Khan legitimately ponders the option of hiring an EVP, which temporarily worked wonders during the 2017 season as the Jaguars brought back former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin to fill that role and they went to the AFC Championship game.
Could Tony Boselli be an EVP solution?
At his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, Ohio in 2022, former Jaguars' offensive tackle Tony Boselli begins a chant of "Duu-val" to the crowd.
Unfortunately, before the end of the '19 season, Khan felt compelled to fire Coughlin because a lot of Jaguars' players were filing grievances to the NFLPA about his excessive fines.
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But that shouldn't rule out resurrecting the EVP role, especially if that person can bring some much-needed structure and organization to a Jaguars' franchise that continually fails to sustain winning.
One name often floated as an EVP candidate is former offensive tackle Tony Boselli, the Jaguars' lone member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame . He's a consistent presence in the community as a team ambassador, while serving as a Jaguars game-day radio analyst on 1010XL, the official team station.
While it's true that Boselli has no front-office experience, neither did Hall of Fame safety John Lynch— a former color commentator for the "NFL on Fox,' — before he became a successful GM with the San Francisco 49ers .
Boselli's presence in the Jaguars' building and genuine love for the franchise makes him, at minimum, an intriguing EVP candidate. It's a safe bet that if Khan were interested in offering Boselli that role, the Hall of Famer would most certainly listen out of immense loyalty to the franchise.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame bust of Tony Boselli is displayed at EverBank Stadium in October, 2022, when the Jacksonville Jaguars' legend had his number 71 retired by the franchise.
Boselli's passion might invigorate Jaguars
Is it a guarantee that Boselli as EVP would instantly transform the Jaguars, put them on a path to becoming a consistent NFL playoff team?
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Certainly not, but it's an absolute guarantee that nobody else in the football world would be as passionate about making Jacksonville's franchise nationally relevant as Boselli.
Even with a promising young quarterback in Trevor Lawrence , the Jaguars have stagnated, largely because Khan has struggled to pick the right leaders or is highly reluctant to try something different.
No doubt, Boselli's voice and presence still looms large in Jacksonville nearly a quarter century after he stopped playing. Khan certainly won't find anyone who cares more about his team's success.
Making Boselli an EVP, no matter how that might impact Baalke's future role, is something the open-minded Khan should dutifully consider.
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If nothing else, Boselli's passion for the game and obsession with winning just might rub off on a franchise that could use a heavy dose of both.
Keeping Heath Farwell should be priority
No matter who winds up as the Jaguars' successor to Doug Pederson, one of his first phone calls should be to special teams coordinator Heath Farwellto make sure he doesn't leave for another job.
Jacksonville Jaguars' special-teams coordinator Heath Farwell, seen here on the sideline during a Week 2 game against the Cleveland Browns, has consistently had his unit among the top echelon of the NFL. The next Jaguars' head coach should make it a priority to keep him.
During Pederson's three-year tenure, no coordinator came remotely close to Farwell in performing his job at a consistently high level.
Had it not been for Jaguars special teams, they would have had only one Pro Bowl starter ( Josh Hines-Allen ) and no first-team All-Pro selections the past three years. Long snapper Ross Matiscik made the Pro Bowl in 2023 and '24, along with punter Logan Cooke this season. Both made first-team All-Pro this year, and rookie kicker Cam Little performed like a Pro Bowler in converting 27 of 29 field goal attempts.
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In Rick Gosselin's annual NFL special-teams rankings, the Jaguars finished 11th in 2022, 9th in '23, and would likely have been much higher in '24, but Gosselin retired from compiling those rankings after 39 years.
By replicating Gosselin's formula in 22 different special-teams metrics, the Jaguars finished second in the NFL behind only the Detroit Lions .
While it's not a good sign for Jacksonville that many of its highest-performing players are on special teams, the unit's consistency shows it'd be a good idea for the next head coach to retain Farwell, who prefers not to leave.
"My wife and kids love Jacksonville," said Farwell. "This is where we want to be if it works out."
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Baalke recently met with Farwell about the possibility of making that happen. The Jaguars hope to keep Farwell, but with the uncertainty of who will be the next head coach, the timing could be awkward.
Farwell will surely get offers to be somebody else's special-teams coordinator, but he can't be sure how long he can hold out waiting to see if the next Jaguars' coach wants to keep him.
Pigskin forecast
Los Angeles Chargers over Houston Texans by 3 (Jaguars' playoff hangover remedies); Baltimore Ravens over Pittsburgh Steelers by 7 ( Russell Wilson AARP cards); Buffalo Bills over Denver Broncos by 1 ( Bo Nix scare); Philadelphia Eagles over Green Bay Packers by 3 ( Jalen Hurts prayer vigils); Tampa Bay Buccaneers over Washington Commanders by 1 (wild overtime); Los Angeles Rams over Minnesota Vikings by 4 ( Sam Darnold regressions). Last week: 4 right, 2 Tyreek Hill pouts.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars should consider Hall of Famer Tony Boselli as EVP
