Jaguars 3 biggest free-agency moves of the Trent Baalke era

Trent Baalke became the Jacksonville Jaguars’ interim general manager when Dave Caldwell was given the boot near the end of the 2020 season. Baalke would later get the job full-time and has held it ever since.

One thing that makes it a bit difficult to evaluate Baalke’s tenure as a general manager in Jacksonville is Urban Meyer, who may have had a role in the acquisition of certain players in free agency or the draft.

But Meyer is now gone and Baalke had free rein over the Jaguars’ personnel decisions in the offseason. While the jury is still out on some of the moves he’s made, there are others he seems to have gotten right. With that in mind, here are the Jags’ best free-agency signings of the Baalke era.

No. 3 Jaguars best FA signing of the Trent Baalke era: Marvin Jones, WR

The Jags checked off several boxes when they signed wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. last year. They brought in a solid No. 2 that could line up opposite DJ Chark Jr. and a veteran leader that would help set the tone in Urban Meyer’s first year at the helm.

However, things didn’t go the way Jacksonville planned. DJ Chark Jr. fractured his ankle in Week 4 and Jones became the team’s de facto No. 1 receiver. To make matters worse, the Urban Meyer debacle took a toll on the Jaguars, and Jones allegedly got into a heated exchange with him.

But in spite of the adversity the Jaguars dealt with, Jones still led the team in receiving yards (832), receptions (73), and receiving touchdowns (four).

With the addition of Zay Jones and Christian Kirk in the offseason, Marvin Jones is no longer the primary target on the Jaguars’ offense. Nevertheless, he’s still come through when called upon, hauling in 28 passes for 346 yards with one touchdown in nine games. Here’s a sick catch he had against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10.