JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has given Tom Coughlin total control of the team’s football operations.

That includes having final say on the 53-man roster, free agency, the NFL draft, and, apparently, approving the hiring of assistant coaches.

"It goes without saying that any football organization that includes Tom Coughlin is going to be one of the best in the NFL," Khan said Thursday. "That’s a fact, and no need to Google that one.

"… What enthuses me the most is Tom welcomes the challenge of overseeing all facets of football operations, and given his roots in Jacksonville, combined with his experience and pedigree, there couldn’t be possibly anyone better to accept the challenge."

Coughlin said he, general manager Dave Caldwell and head coach Doug Marrone will work together as a team in regards to personnel and coaching matters. However, Khan indicated that if there wasn’t a consensus, then Coughlin would be charged with making a final decision.

"I intend to put my heart and soul into being a great support for Dave and for Doug," Coughlin said. "I’ll be living in their shoes, so to speak, but I embrace this opportunity."

It’s not the first time Coughlin has been in this position. He served as the Jaguars’ coach and GM from 1995-2002, and though he guided the franchise to four playoff appearances and two AFC title game berths, he was fired after three consecutive losing seasons. He also had issues with the salary cap, having to trim about $30 million from the payroll ahead of the 2001 season and $20 million ahead of the 2002 season.

The Jaguars have salary cap specialists in place now in John Idzik (special assistant to the GM) and Tim Walsh (director of football administration) so that shouldn’t be an issue going forward.

Coughlin’s hiring would seem to mean a diminished role for Caldwell, who for the past four seasons has had final say over personnel matters, but he said he doesn’t anticipate things changing much.

"It’ll be a team thing," Caldwell said. "I’m sure it will be a complete team thing. I think our processes will stay a lot similar to what it was. I think Tom will oversee the process."

Coughlin also will apparently oversee the process of hiring assistant coaches. Marrone has already fired eight assistant coaches, including five defensive coaches, and said on Thursday that he will work with Coughlin in filling the rest of the openings on the staff. When asked if he had final say on assembling his staff, Marrone said he and Coughlin would work together.

"It would be -- I don’t know what the right word [is] -- it’d be stupid, I guess, by me, not to talk to Coach [Coughlin] about coaches," Marrone said. "Coaches that he knows, coaches that I know, that we’ve worked with, we know, we’ve been around. So we’re in the process of working on that together, which I’m excited about.

"We have great insight. He’ll mention a name, and I’ll have someone, and we’ll be able to discuss that. So for me it’s a great resource whereas normally you’re kind of out there trying to do this all on your own."

Coughlin said that being the final word doesn’t mean he’s solely in charge of turning around a franchise that hasn’t won more than five games in a season since 2010. He still considers it a group effort.

"While I am thrilled to be back, it’s not about me," he said. "It’s not about any one individual. It’s about team. It’s about the concept of team, of team above self, of unselfish commitment to team. Team above all else will define the Jaguars moving forward."