NFL insider suggests the Jaguars will keep Trent Baalke for this polarizing reason

Head coach Doug Pederson's job security has taken centerstage after the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Detroit Lions in Week 11. However, general manager Trent Baalke should also be on the hot seat for his role on the team's subpar record this season. Heading into the game, there were reports that owner Shad Khan could fire both of them if they were blown out (they were), but an NFL insider believes there's a path where Baalke stays put.

Florio reported after the 52-6 embarrasment that the Jaguars that there's a scenario in which the Jaguars could keep Baalke and have him work alongside former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

"Before the season started, team owner Shad Khan said, 'This is the best team the Jaguars have ever assembled. Let's prove it by winning now.' So here we are, 2-9, worst loss today in franchise history, BYE week coming up," Florio said when discussing how the Jaguars got here. "Doug Peterson was asked after the game about the possibility of being fired. He said, 'If it's going to happen, it's going to happen,' and it could happen soon."

Florio continued, "Now, what about the guy that put together the best team ever assembled, general manager Trent Baalke? I've talked to several people throughout the league, and there is a belief in some circles he could potentially survive in the next year as part of a package deal that would reunite him with someone he worked with back in 1998, 1999, with the New York Jets. That coach is available; he's won a few Super Bowls, his name is Bill Belichick."

Heading into the game, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that he wouldn't be surprised if Baalke and Pederson got the boot, pointing out that members of the Jacksonville coaching staff and front office felt that change seemed inevitable and were resigned to their fate.

Florio saw the report and weighed in, noting that Khan trusted Baalke and wouldn't rule out pairing him with Bill Belichick.

"Before the season started, owner Khan made his expectations clear: “Make no mistake, this is the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever. Best players, best coaches. But most importantly, let’s prove it by winning now.”

That would seem to be an indication that he trusts the work of Baalke, who assembled the team. Still, a 2-8 record could land at 2-9 with a massive thud against a Lions team coached by Dan Campbell — who was hired in the same cycle that Khan got the bright idea to hire Urban Meyer. If that happens, Khan might decide the time is now to make it clear that he’ll be in the market for a new coach and possibly a new G.M. as of January."

If you notice, that sounds more like speculation than an actual report, which is why it was odd to see Florio say one day later that he was hearing from league sources that Khan could consider keeping Baalke and hiring Belichick.

Granted, it's possible that Florio did hear that from a source, but there's an equal chance he just wanted to embellish his original theory and make it sound more legitimate. Here's his video talking about Baalke and Belichick.

It wouldn't make sense for the Jaguars to have Trent Baalke worth with Bill Belichick

There are many things to dissect. For starters, several insiders beyond Mike Florio talked about Trent Baalke's job security heading into the game. For instance, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated pointed out that the general manager's winning seasons have come when he's paired with a couple of winning head coaches, Doug Pederson and Jim Harbaugh.

Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports also brought up Baalke's underwhelming 30-64 record with the Jags, reporting that "the buzz is growing louder" about whether the embattled general manager will remain in Duval beyond 2024.

For the sake of the argument, let's say Shad Khan is indeed interested in making a run for Bill Belichick. The idea isn't half bad. After all, he can coach defenses and he's proven he can win it all, winning six Super Bowls (and appearing in two more) during his 24 seasons in Foxborough. On the other hand, he was so bad at drafting that once Tom Brady left the New England Patriots, their dearth of depth and talent was exposed. That falls on the Hoodie.

If Khan were to pursue Belichick, he must keep him away from making personnel decisions and pair him up with a general manager who can actually draft. That most likely isn't Baalkle.

While Baalke hasn't been outright dreadful at the helm of the Jaguars' personnel department, he's made several puzzling decisions through his stint.

For instance, the general manager paid Arik Armstead, who excels at creating pressure from the interior, top-market money to play edge with the Jags. Then, there's the Maason Smith pick. Compared to Calais Campbell during the draft process, the rookie out of LSU Tiger has been a healthy scratch several times in 2024.

But leaving aside specific decisions, Baalke has routinely struggled to revamp the roster. Last year, it was pass-rush depth and the offensive line. This year, it's bad free-agent acquisitions (with a couple of exceptions).

When you put together Baalke's body of work, and Belichick's overall track record, that may not be the ideal pairing to rebuild the Jacksonville Jaguars, whether is a conjuncture or an actual report, Shad Khan will have more options in the hiring cycle.

More Jaguars analysis here: