JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dear Liam, Welcome to Jacksonville! You and your family are going to love it.
There’s a reason so many former players and coaches still live in the area. This is one of the best-kept secrets in the country.
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This fan base has endured a lot. Three winning seasons in the last 17 years. Back-to-back winning seasons once in the last 20 years. Back-to-back playoff appearances haven’t happened in 25 years.
This fan base is awesome. They already have your back. They defend their own. They also demand success.
And when you win around here -- the scene is pretty awesome!!!
Trevor Lawrence is the perfect franchise quarterback. He says and does all the right things. Jacksonville loves him. He is yet to be fully unlocked in the NFL, but that’s why you’re here.
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This football team has more talent than four wins. I think it’s a football team that will be hungry to get it right in 2025.
So, the decision to come to Jacksonville is a good one.
The scoreboard and wins matter most, but there’s a lot more to sustaining success as you know.
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Alignment. Identity. Relationships. Transparency. Messaging.
This is your building and this is your team. Good luck hiring a staff and filling out those offices. The Jags have one of the league’s best special teams units, so you might want to keep Heath Farwell -- just an idea.
One of the biggest decisions is finding a partner in the general manager position. Alignment is important and the Jaguars have lacked in that department.
I think you have to answer the question: who are the Jacksonville Jaguars? It should be an easy answer, but it’s been a riddle for quite some time now. What is the mission statement? What is the identity? What is the culture when you walk through the doors at the Miller Electric Center and when a team walks onto the field at EverBank Stadium?
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There are good people in that building, but they have had a tough job. They will root for you but make them a part of the journey. It might be nice to go shake hands with those folks in the business office trying to sell tickets. It hasn’t always been easy. The relationships with everyone in the organization build belief and trust.
The microphone matters in Jacksonville. Everyone is listening -- to every word. I think the Jaguars have been lacking transparency. We get it. You can’t tell fans everything, but the fans want to feel like they are along for the ride. They want you to know how they feel. This is a place where you can shake hands with the fans at events, the grocery store, and local restaurants.
These might sound like simple things, but when things don’t go as planned -- and that always happens at some point in the NFL -- these are things that build equity, trust, and long-lasting belief.
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You made a great decision. This place is awesome. Jacksonville is growing. There’s a new stadium on the horizon. It’s going to be a great ride for the rest of the decade.
Oh, one more thing -- if you say you’re going to call plays, make sure you call plays!
Good luck and welcome to Jacksonville! Duuuvall!!!
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