Owner Shad Khan says Jaguars will hire executive above GM Trent Baalke

The Jacksonville Jaguars didn't fire general manager Trent Baalke like fans wanted, but team owner Shad Khan did reveal Saturday that the team will limit his influence over construction of the roster.

''We have filed the request to the NFL for an EVP (executive vice president),'' Khan said during a press conference introducing Doug Pederson as head coach. ''And so we'll be doing that process.''

Baalke, 57, became the interim general manager of the Jaguars in November 2020 and was given the role full-time in the 2021 offseason. Jacksonville finished the 2021 season with a 3-14 record and is set to pick first in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The Jaguars' lengthy hunt for a coaching staff was reportedly held up due to the trepidation of coaching candidates who didn't want to work with Baalke. That included Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, who was considered a favorite for the job, but reportedly wanted Baalke replaced with Arizona Cardinals executive Adrian Wilson.

By hiring an executive vice president, the Jaguars will return to the structure the team had during its run to the AFC Championship Game in January 2018 with Tom Coughlin in the role and Dave Caldwell as general manager.

"Strengthening the football operations, more staff, definitely, that's part of our goal," Khan said Saturday. "So I mean, we've had too flat an organization, and we want to add brainpower and more people to strengthen that.''

The Jaguars interviewed former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman for a "high-level front office position" last week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.