Khan Committed To Jacksonville, But For How Long?

By Joey Farbo

After months and months of denying that his franchise was up for sale, Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver completely blind sided everybody on Tuesday when he announced that he and his partners were selling the team to Chicago based businessman Shahid Khan.

Both Weaver and Khan have made or released statements affirming their commitment to keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville, but the timing and circumstances that surround this deal should be a cause for concern among people who would like to see this team remain in North Florida.

The biggest concern to Jaguars fans should be the fact that the terms of the sale do not include any terms that require Khan to keep the franchise in Jacksonville.

Yes, the Jaguars have a solid lease to play at EverBank Field until 2029, but I have a hard time believing that if Khan and the NFL wanted to move the Jaguars that they could not find a way to break the lease. In order to break the lease, Khan would have to show that the team lost money for three consecutive season, which would be almost impossible for an NFL franchise to do, or he would have to prove to a judge that the city was not capable of adequately supporting the Jaguars.

With the recent struggles to sell tickets and the need to cover seats in the stadium in order to give the Jaguars a lower blackout number, I am almost sure that the highly paid lawyers employed by the NFL could make a solid case against the city of Jacksonville if the Jaguars continue to struggle to sell out their games. And to be completely honest, while the Jaguars have not had a blackout since 2009, none of the games over the past two seasons have been remotely close to being a true sellout.

Another concern for Jaguars fans should be the circumstances that surround this transition of ownership.

For years Weaver has said that he would only sell his franchise to a person truly committed to keeping the Jaguars in Jacksonville, but that he would like to have a succession plan in which he gradually transferred the ownership of the franchise over a couple of years time. In this case, Weaver is selling 100% of the franchise and will be out the door in January.

While Weaver expressed his trust in Khan’s word that he would keep the franchise in Jacksonville, once the sale of the team is final there is nothing stopping him from changing his mind. This deal goes against everything Weaver has ever said about his plan for the eventual transition of ownership and that certainly should raise some eyebrows in Jacksonville.

The final reason Jaguars fans should be concerned is that Khan has absolutely no ties to the Jacksonville area.

Khan currently resides in Illinois and is a graduate of the University of Illinois. He moved to the United States at the age of 16 from Pakistan. I have a hard time believing that an immigrant that has spent most of his life in the Chicago area has interest in owning an NFL franchise in Jacksonville, Florida.

Until anything happens it is hard to know what Khan’s true intentions are for the future of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but for the time being I expect to continue to hear both him and Weaver say the right things about keeping the franchise in Jacksonville. However, after the season ends the tone about relocation could change drastically.

For the sake of the city of Jacksonville and for Jaguars fans, I hope that Khan is not lying when he says that he is committed to bringing a championship to the First Coast. For now all we can do is take Khan at his word.

However, when large of amounts of money are involved it is hard to be optimistic about the outcome for a small market like Jacksonville.

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