Even though the Jacksonville Jaguars fired head coach Doug Pederson after the 2024 season concluded, they kept general manager Trent Baalke. The half-measure approach raised eyebrows around the league because keeping him around could scare away the most qualified candidates in the hiring cycles. Nevertheless, an NFL voice believes Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should still interview for the job.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports made an appearance on the Pushing the Pile podcast and said that Baalke's presence shouldn't deter Johnson from pursuing the Jaguars' opening, pointing out that if he wants to, he can push the general manager aside.
"Before that all came out, I had reached out to somebody in the organization, and what I was told was the coach will now have the major juice in the building," Prisco told hosts Mike Renner and Chris Long when they noted that Jaguars owner Shad Khan would be open to dismissing Baalke. "And they said, they've said that in the past, but now, I think it's to the point where that coach comes in, it's his power, and it should be. And in that scenario, if it's his power, then he should be able to make the decision on who he wants as the general manager.
Prisco continued, "And I think that that's why guys that they say, Oh, 'I might not interview for that job.' Go interview for it. Yeah, and exhibit A is Ben Johnson. Ben Johnson supposedly wants that job. That was the one he was eyeing all along. You know, he's from North Carolina. He's, you know, it's a small town feel to it. Jacksonville has that same feel. Jacksonville has no state income tax. They have an owner that doesn't meddle. They kept that guy there, for how long? Trent Baalke's been there for how long?
"Yeah. So you have a quarterback who you can make Jared Goff, same type of guy, you can do that with him. And so I think Ben Johnson has drawn to that. We'll go interview there and go in there and tell him, 'Look, I have other options as well, but this is what I want here,' because he's supposedly the guy that he's linked to is the guy in DC that was with the Lions for many years. Was it Ryan Newmark, his name is and I did some checking around on him. That guy worked with Bobby Beathard. And that's where you got to start. Bobby Beathhard is one of the legendary football scouts in the history of this league."
Khan's remarks about potentially giving Baalke the boot came during the conference following Pederson's dismissal. While the Jaguars owner emphasized that he's pleased with the work his general manager has done, he told the local press that he would be willing to get rid of him if someone better comes, and he did it in front of him.
#Jaguars owner Shad Khan saying that he’ll get rid of GM Trent Baalke if a prospective head coach gives Khan a credible reason
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) January 7, 2025
with Baalke right there
CINEMA pic.twitter.com/iRvDzazyTz
That led to Prisco's comments about Johnson having leverage if he wants the Jaguars job, which appears to be the case.
The Jaguars must fire Trent Baalke if that's what it takes to hire Ben Johnson
Trent Baalke routinely feuded with the coaching staff last year and he's known as someone who's difficult to work with. That's why his presence could be a turnoff for potential head-coaching candidates. One said as much when he found out that the Jacksonville Jaguars are keeping the general manager.
On a related note, Ben Johnson has stated that he wants to work with a general manager who shares his vision, and there's a strong chance he won't mesh with Baalke. If that's the case, and if the Jaguars believe the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator is their guy, they must kick him to the curb.
As Pete Prisco pointed out, Johnson will have options. Aside from Jacksonville, the New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears already placed interview requests for him, and the last thing they want is to lose him to either team. Moreover, other prospective suitors may arise, so the Jaguars must make sure their opening is the most appealing one of this hiring cycle.
Add the fact that the Jaguars would be getting rid of a divisive presence, and they should be incentivize to fire him to get a deal done with Ben Johnson.