Jaguars HC job comes with many benefits but one caveat

The Jacksonville Jaguars continue their search for a head coach and they already started conducting a second round of interviews. They met with Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus and should have the chance to talk to other candidates. The Jags should be able to land the top option in their wish list but there’s a caveat that comes with the opening, one that anyone who’s interested in the job needs to take into account.

The Jaguars’ head-coaching vacancy should be attractive due to the presence of Trevor Lawrence and the robust amount of cap space the team will have at their disposal (around $60 million). However, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports brings up an important point. As attractive as the job looks, whoever applies for it needs to remember that they will be working in conjunction with general manager Trent Baalke.

"But the next head coach gets to be paired with GM Trent Baalke, whose recent career is littered with head coaches who quickly become former head coaches while he remained in place (or got promoted!) There’s also the need for speed on offense, undoing the damage Urban Meyer did to the roster, dealing with a fan base that was once apathetic and is now angry, and an owner who a decade in is still making rookie mistakes."

Jones is right to bring up Baalke’s track record when hiring head coaches. Back when he was the San Francisco 49ers general manager, he hired Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly in back-to-back seasons, and neither of them last more than a year on the job, so it’s only fair for candidates interested in the Jaguars’ gig — and anyone for that matter — to raise concerns about how stable their situation would be in Jacksonville and what kind of assurances they would get if they were to be hired.

The Jaguars need to do what it takes to land their top HC candidate.

Instead of cleaning house, the Jaguars are keeping course with Baalke. Sure, he did have a solid 2021 draft haul and has had a few hits but has also had his fair share of misses. He doesn’t have a great reputation around the league and is known as someone who is difficult to work with. If the Jaguars want to lure the top candidate in their wish list, they may need to part ways with their general manager.

Maybe the Jaguars end up moving on from Baalke if he becomes enough of a roadblock but it’s not a sure thing that they would. If anything, it looks like the general manager is safe right now but it wouldn’t be particularly shocking to see the organization move on from him either.

Once the Jaguars’ head coaching search advances to the next stage, Baalke’s fate will become more clear. For the time being, those interested in the opening need to consider they will be working alongside him.