Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver met with the media on Tuesday to talk about this very Jaguar morning in the NFL.
Weaver confirmed all the major stories from the morning, including the sale of the team to Shahid Khan. A few big takeaways from the presser:
1. Khan will keep the Jaguars management staff intact. An agreement to sell the team was signed Tuesday morning. Khan has given his word he’ll keep the team in Jacksonville. Nothing is in writing to keep the team in Jacksonville.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind this team is going to stay in Jacksonville,” Weaver said. “You have to trust the individual’s integrity. I have no doubt Khan will do what he plans to do.”
2. Khan will buy a house in Jacksonville, but he won’t be ae as “day-to-day” an owner as Weaver. It sounds like Khan won’t live in Jacksonville year round. Khan lives in Illinois. Weaver said he refused calls from California of possible owners interested in moving the team.
3. Roger Goodell heard from Weaver Tuesday morning before any agreement was signed. NFL owners will vote on the sale on December 14 at league meetings, assuming the league’s executive committee votes to do so. The transaction won’t be come official until early January, but it sounds like the sale will easily go through.
4. Jack Del Rio was fired because Weaver had made up his mind and it was “unfair” to leave Del Rio twisting in the wind.
“We deserve better, this community deserves better,” Weaver said. “We’ve been very average the last few years.”
5. Weaver promised interim coach Mel Tucker that he’ll get to interview for the head coaching job after the season, but the organization will conduct an extensive coaching search.
6. Weaver said job candidates will range from coaches with head coaching experience to up and coming coaches. Weaver will be heavily involved in the new coaching search, which seems odd.
UPDATE: Khan released a statement: “I will be fully committed to delivering Jacksonville its first Super Bowl championship.”