As expected, the Jacksonville Jaguars dismissed head coach Doug Pederson. However, they chose to keep controversial general manager Trent Baalke. By doing so, they might've made things more challenging for them if they want to pursue Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or any of the top candidates in the upcoming hiring cycle.
Several outlets reported that the Jags fired Pederson one day after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Not long after, owner Shad Khan announced that Baalke would stay and would help him search for a new head coach.
The #Jaguars' next head coach will report directly to owner Shad Khan, not GM Trent Baalke. Talent on the roster, a new facility, breaking ground on a "stadium of the future" and a less-than-rugged division will make this an attractive job. https://t.co/97AbUDAERU
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2025
The trouble with keeping Baalke is that he has a less-than-stellar reputation around the league and is known for being difficult to work with. Whoever the Jaguars hire won't report to him, but that won't change the fact that his presence makes the job automatically less attractive.
Trent Baalke stays in JAX. As I said on @gmfb , the structure will be different -- new coach will report to owner, not GM-- but new coach will be inheriting GM from previous era.
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) January 6, 2025
Toward the end of the regular season, reports surfaced that he had feuded with the coaching staff earlier in the year. However, that wasn't enough to convince Khan to get rid of his general manager.
Keeping Baalke will probably come back to haunt the Jaguars, as their opening will be less appealing with him in place. Johnson has reportedly shown interest in the vacancy, and most of the things that come with it, including the presence of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. On the other hand, he wants to work with a general manager who shares his vision.
On top of that, the Lions' offensive coordinator wants to go over the mistakes teams he interviews with made to get to where they are, and look for potential fixes. Baalke has certainly made his fair share of blunders, and if the Jags aren't willing to move him out of the equation, Johnson may choose not to take their job. He won't probably be the only candidate, though.
Other prospective head coaches may want to look into other vacancies as long as Baalke is in Jacksonville.
The reaction to the news that the Jacksonville Jaguars chose to keep Trent Baalke aren't surprising. Some of the most prominent NFL talking heads has outright said that their vacancy has become less attractive.
The Jaguars won't attract top coaching candidates with Trent Baalke in place
Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports had reported that the Jags were planning to clean house and is shocked that they retained Baalke.
There is pure shock around NFL circles that the #Jaguars opted to keep GM Trent Baalke.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 6, 2025
“Unreal.”
“Makes no sense.”
“What has he done to survive two head coaches?”
“The job is not as coveted with Trent there.”
And much more. Many NFL people stunned. https://t.co/bebS5DEMbr
Mike Silver of The Athletic chronicled Baalke's stint with the San Francisco 49ers closely, so he knows first-hand what kind of negative impact he has.
That will greatly restrict the pool of interested candidates https://t.co/3I9n97M9dR
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) January 6, 2025
Now, the Jaguars could keep Baalke, so he could help them hire a new head coach, and dismiss him once he does. But that approach wouldn't make sense. The New York Jets tried something similar when they hired Adam Gase in 2019 and kept general manager Mike Mcaagnan for a few months before firing him and bringing in Joe Douglas to replace him. It didn't work, and if that's what the Jags plan to do with Baalke, it probably won't go any better.
The bottom line is that there's no benefit on keeping Trent Baalke. He's already given plenty of time and has failed to deliver. By keeping him around, the Jaguars won't be able to pursue the best candidates in the next hiring cycle. Granted, there's a slim chance it could work. But history isn't in their favor.