JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A UNF poll released Thursday morning revealed faith in the Jaguars’ front office is shaken but those polled still see some bright spots for the Jaguars’ future with a new coach and young quarterback to lead the way.
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Despite a losing season, support for quarterback Trevor Lawrence actually grew over the last year. Voters surveyed in the UNF poll were less approving of Jaguars owner Shad Khan and general manager Trent Baalke.
Lawrence, who just wrapped up his rookie season, had the highest approval rating among the respondents:
- 56% of voters approve of his performance.
- 28% remain unsure.
That’s a decent jump from before the season started when he had a 45% approval rating last May.
Although he has yet to coach a game for the Jags, new head coach Doug Pederson already has a 29% approval rating. But 52% of voters say they don’t know how they feel about him quite yet.
The numbers aren’t as good for Khan.
- 38% of voters approve either somewhat or slightly of Khan.
That’s a significant drop from the 49% approval he got before the season started. At the time, many voters believed Khan was coming off a successful draft and made a good choice to hire Urban Meyer as head coach.
When it comes to Baalke, only 12% of voters approve of the job he’s doing, while 54% disapprove.
Among those who responded, 65% say it’s at least somewhat important to have an NFL franchise in Jacksonville.
It would be costly for the team to break its lease, which runs until 2030, and a $120 million practice facility is in the works.
For years there has also been talk of building a new stadium, and the poll asked voters about that too.
- 70% say the $1 billion price tag is simply too high, and oppose using taxpayer dollars to split the bill with the team.
- 30% support sharing the cost
That’s actually up 9% from the last time UNF asked that question, back in 2020. The cost of a new stadium has also grown by $300 million since then.
Here is a look at the full news release: