Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan predicted at the Super Bowl that his team would spend $130M this year on player salaries and said last Friday "during the draft that the team has already exceeded that figure,” according to Vito Stellino of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Khan said, “We’ve spent a lot more than $130 (million) already in cash. Much more than that. A little bit under $140 million.” Khan is also putting about $10M into "locker room and weight room improvements at the stadium," and said that money "will not be a factor in the discussion of whether to build a practice bubble.” But he indicated that the club would “still be prudent in their spending” Khan: “I want to set an example to have the best facilities. I’ve been to a lot of locker rooms and we weren’t the best and we weren’t the worse. We were in the middle. I had some players ask me on some specific requests and if we’re going to do it, do it really right where it is such an image for the team that every fund-raiser wants to be there for dinner and most important, it’s something great for the players.” He said that the upgraded facility will “have 90 lockers so each player will have his own," and that the locker rooms will feature "state-of-the-art creative comforts.” Stellino noted Khan also gave GM Gene Smith and his staff "good grades for how they ran the draft” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 4/30). Khan said the positive reaction from fans after the Draft has translated into an overall "bump up" in ticket sales. But, he said that it was “a little too early to tell.” Khan: “I see it going in the right direction” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/27).
