Following a disappointing 2024 season, the Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson, but chose to retain Trent Baalke. The decision raised eyebrows because both of them played a role in the team's lack of success, but only one of them was let go.
When asked why he chose to retain Baalke, owner Shad Khan told the local media that he valued his input. Moreover, he didn't think the general manager would affect Jacksonville's search for a new head coach. He did, and once a couple candidates balked at the Jaguars, Khan at last pulled the trigger.
Now, the Jaguars are in the process of looking for a new general manager while Ethan Waugh serves as the interim.
Keep in mind that Baalke wasn't a bad talent evaluator. The reason he was ousted was that he was difficult to work with and consistently looked for someone to blame for his miscues. This begs the question, what are the biggest mistakes that he made as the general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars? Here are the biggest five.
Taking Luke Fortner in Round 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft
After dealing with several injuries throughout his career, center Brandon Linder chose to call it quits in 2022. This left the Jags needing to fill the void he left on the offensive line. While they had several intriguing options in free agency and early the draft, Trent Baalke chose to wait until Round 3 to select Luke Fortner.
Although Fortner showed promise as a rookie, he also struggled. Still, the Jags thought that he would make strides in his sophomore campaign. He didn't, and in fact, struggled so badly that the Jags had to bring in veteran Mitch Morse to fortify the center spot in 2024.
Morse turned out to be his dependable self last season but is intering a contract year, meaning that the team's brass will need to once again address the center position soon. This wouldn't have happened if Baalke had done it back in 2022 instead of finding a short-term fix.
Signing Folorunso Fatukasi in 2022 to a 3-year deal worth $30 million
The Jaguars brought in several free agents in 2022. Some of the signings paid off, but others didn't, and looking back, giving defensive tackle Folurunso Fotukasi a three-year deal worth $30 million was a mistake.
Fotukasi was reliable during his four-year stint with the New York Jets but he was far from a playmaker. That's why giving him a top-market deal looked odd. Still, there was the hope that he could break out with the Jags. He didn't and instead dealt with injuries the next two years.
After two underwhelming seasons, the Jags accepted the mistake and moved on from Fatukasi in 2024.
Giving Arik Armstead a top-market money to have him play defensive tackle
The Jaguars needed to beef up their interior defense line in 2024, and it looked like they took care of it when they signed Arik Armstead to a three-year deal worth $42.5 million. On paper, the move looked great, as the former Oregon Duck was one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL during his time with the San Francisco 49ers.
However, the Jags got a blank stare when they used Armstead as a defensive end. To nobody's surprise, the veteran was a non-factor as he looked lost when he played on the edge. The silver lining is that the California native will once gain line up inside in 2025. Still, it was puzzling to ink one of the best defensive tackles in the league only to have him rush the quarterback from outside.
Releasing Darious Williams in 2024
One of the signings Trent Baalke made in 2022 that did pay off was cornerback Darious Williams. In his first season with the Jags, the former UAB Blazer led the team with 16 passes defensed. He was even better in 2023, registering 19 pass deflections and four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
But despite his amazing play, Williams was let go in 2024 in a cap-saving move. To replace him, Jacksonville signed Ronald Darby in free agency. While cheaper, he turned out to be a downgrade and was even benched late in the season.
Now, the Jaguars have to once again take care of a need that wouldn't otherwise have if Baalke had kept Williams.
Drafting Travon Walker instead of Aidan Hutchinson at No. 1 in 2022
The Jaguars clinched the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft. The trouble is that they didn't need a quarterback because they had taken Trevor Lawrence the year prior. That led to speculation about who would be the choice. There were some worthy candidates but Jacksonville went with Travon Walker.
While talented, Walker was a bit raw coming out of college, which is why analysts wondered why they passed on the more NFL-ready Aidan Hutchinson.
Right off the back, Hutchinson became a game-changer while Walker got off to a slow start to his NFL campaign. Although the former Georgia Bulldog made strides in 2023, he didn't improve enough to justify the decision to draft him over Hutchinson.
Sure, Walker has developed into a playmaker but Hutchinson was a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 before he suffered a pair of injuries that cut his season short.
Maybe Walker will keep improving next season, but it's fair to say that Baalke passed on the better player and only because he didn't have the ideal arm length.