Ding dong! Jaguars part ways with general manager Trent Baalke – Big Cat Country
Filed under:Jaguars owner Shad Khan has finally ripped off the bandaid. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement that the team has agreed to “respectfully separate” from general manager Trent Baalke.Statement from Jaguars Owner Shad Khan. pic.twitter.com/YDjGHvdn2zThis morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported “Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is taking himself out of the running for the Jaguars’ head coaching job to stay in Tampa on a new contract that now will place him amongst the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL, per sources.” On Monday, former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson finalized a deal to become the Bears’ new head coach. Johnson and Coen were widely reported to be Jacksonville’s top two preferences for its head coach vacancy. Baalke was retained when Doug Pederson was fired, but he reached the end of his leash when the Jaguars whiffed this week. Baalke had served as the Jaguars’ general manager in a full-time capacity since 2021. The team had a 25-43 record (.368 winning percentage) with two playoff appearances and one playoff win in that span. He was originally hired as director of player personnel in 2020 and was quickly promoted to interim general manager when Dave Caldwell got the pink slip in November. Previously, Baalke spent a dozen seasons in the 49ers’ front office, including six years as general manager from 2011-16. The Niners had a 51-44 record (.537) in that span and went to three straight conference championships with one Super Bowl appearance. Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh had an ugly split, though, which largely began Baalke’s poor reputation around the league. Harbaugh was ousted — an abysmal decision in hindsight — and Baalke stuck around a few more years before eventually being relieved of his duties. Baalke took over a rebuilding Jaguars team in 2021 that lucked into earning the draft’s top quarterback prospect, Trevor Lawrence. That draft class also included Travis Etienne, Tyson Campbell, Walker Little, Andre Cisco and Luke Farrell. Baalke signed Lawrence, Campbell and Little to long-term contract extensions last year. Those three players, plus a few other first-rounders in Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Anton Harrison and Brian Thomas Jr., are the foundation of the current roster. It’s a fine list, but it should be longer considering Caldwell’s accrued draft capital and Khan’s willingness to spend cash. Baalke partook in several free agency sprees, but even his biggest hits (Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, Foye Oluokun) arguably haven’t played up to the huge dollar amounts it took to draw them to town. His misses, including after the first round of drafts, are too many to count.Baalke’s talent evaluations in Jacksonville were mediocre at best, even if the coaching staff didn’t do its part in maximizing the players he added. But what’s worse was his process.He was slow to re-interview candidates this week, giving Tampa Bay time to convince Coen to return. He declined a discount on Hines-Allen in 2023 and had to overpay to keep him in 2024. He drafted Walker over Aidan Hutchinson because of an infatuation for arm length. He didn’t do enough to surround Lawrence with talent despite being the biggest overpayer in the league. Ultimately, Lawrence and Thomas Jr. are the only Pro Bowl players he brought to Jacksonville.Since Khan took almost all football advice directly from Baalke, he’ll likely lean on interim general manager Ethan Waugh to find a new coach before the market dries up.The Jaguars are still set to interview Robert Saleh and Patrick Graham in person, and maybe Coen is still in play considering he’s yet to officially sign a new deal with the Bucs. Khan took far too long to free the franchise of Baalke’s control. Due to his apathy, no NFL team has a worse winning percentage since he bought the team in 2012. But this city lucked into a franchise. This franchise lucked into a quarterback. And if this quarterback lucks into a good head coach/general manager pairing… the Jaguars may not be losers anymore. We can dream again.Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
Source: https://www.bigcatcountry.com/2025/1/22/24349796/jacksonville-jaguars-part-ways-with-trent-baalke
