The Jacksonville Jaguars, frankly, had had enough. A discord within the organization had become national news as fines levied against former players became public, the NFLPA filed grievances, won them, sent a letter league-wide warning against signing with the Jaguars, players were detained in a London club and a drama-filled locker room boiled over, threatening to explode altogether.
One could point a finger of blame in a number of different ways and be justified. Yet owner Shad Khan, as mentioned, was done with kiting the issue. He fired executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin over the roster mishandling and NFLPA warning.
Then, general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone have sought to makeover the locker room on their own accord, both on and off the field. The team agreed to a requested trade by Jalen Ramsey, sending the former first-rounder to the Los Angeles Rams last October. Walter Payton Man of the Year Calais Campbell was traded for cap space, despite being a locker room leader. And with a dogged determination, they are holding on to defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who has also requested a trade.
So with the most draft capital in franchise history, Khan, Caldwell and Marrone set out to find guys that could help turn around a 6-10 record on the field but also pull together a locker room that had been fractured. It was the foundation of their 2020 NFL Draft plan.
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