The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired Trent Baalke from the general manager position. Football experts speculate that the decision came late because other NFL teams have hired some top head coaching candidates. In addition to Baalke’s position, the Jaguars are also finding Doug Pederson’s replacement after firing him during the season.
After serving the National Football League as a football operations consultant, the Jaguars hired him as their director of player personnel in 2020. He then became interim general manager before the Jaguars elevated him to full-time status.
There might not be a bigger fumble this cycle than how the #Jaguars handled this. Top coaching candidates were never going to Jacksonville with Trent Baalke still in place. Now, after all the top names have turned them down, the team (owner) finally realizes it. What a mess. https://t.co/7gIzAfDC4A
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 22, 2025
To his credit, he was the Jaguars’ general manager when they drafted Travon Walker, Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, and Brian Thomas Jr. However, his stint has been largely a failure because the Jaguars barely had a winning record in two of his five seasons. During that stretch, they made the playoffs once, ending in the Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Before joining the Jaguars, Baalke also worked for the New York Jets, the San Francisco 49ers, and the then-Washington Redskins. While Baalke is not with the Jaguars anymore, there’s no progress regarding their coaching hire. The clock is ticking as the start of the 2025 league year is fast approaching.
-Lance Fernandez