Jaguars GM Trent Baalke not retiring, refutes rumors of friction with Doug Pederson

General manager Trent Baalke has been in the spotlight since the Jacksonville Jaguars failed to make the playoffs in 2023. Among the reasons he's gotten lots of attention was his inability to replenish the roster last year. Also, his relationship with head coach Doug Pederson didn't seem to be going great. Last but not least, there were rumblings about him potentially retiring.

But in his latest press conference, Baalke dispelled the last two talking points. Regarding his relationship with Pederson, he says that it's great, pointing out that the collaborative effort remains in place.

"I think it's probably even more so," Baalke when asked if he had a say in the hiring of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. "When you go through tough times, you find out a lot about a lot of people. The season didn't end the way we wanted it to."

"We had some strong conversations throughout the year, where things were at, where things were trending. So great communication, great collaboration. Really respect him, and everything that he does. A lot of what's written a lot of the narratives that are out there just false. Plain and simple," Baalke said.

Not long ago, Albert Beer of Sports Illustrated reported that Trent Baalke wasn't pleased with offensive coordinator Press Taylor's performance, implying he wanted to have a say on which coaches Pederson would keep/hire. Baalke told the media Thursday that the head coach has full autonomy when picking his staff and supported his choices.

"Coach owns the staff, just like they do in most places, and no different here. And I respect the decisions that he makes. I mean, we collaborate, we work together. I sat in on all the interviews, and we shared our thoughts, but at the end of the day, coach [Pederson] owns it. And I respect those decisions," Baalke said.

Later in the exchange, Baalke was asked specifically about him taking a hard look at Press Taylor. He again emphasized that he and Pederson talk about it but Pederson has full control of the staff.

"Coach, and I, and ownership, we talked throughout the year. "We've talked about everything and those discussions will remain private. But at the end of the day, like I said, coach owns the coaching staff and he's held responsible for that coaching staff and I can tell you this, I support every decision that he makes 100 percent," Baalke said.

"Baalke continued, "We have discussions, we get through with the discussions, whether it's the draft free agency coaches, personnel, staff, support staff, we go through the process and we talk about everything. And at the end of the day, once a decision is made, we make it, we move on. So I'm 100 percent anything coach decides because I've been factored into it, I've been part of those discussions."

Regarding rumblings about him potentially retiring, Baalke jokingly said that he contemplates stepping away on a daily basis but he's 60 and isn't going anywhere. Here's the full presser in case you want to look at it.

Jaguars GM Trent Baalke clarified things. He must now revamp the roster

Based on Trent Baalke's exchange with the local media, he's aware of the noise surrounding him. He should then know that his performance last year has deservedly been under scrutiny. he failed to bolster the pass rush and failed to appropriately address the interior offensive line. The general manager could argue that the blame should fall on the coaching staff for not being able to develop players.

However, there's only so much the coaching staff can do, and at some point, Baalke needs to find talent in the draft, something he hasn't been able to consistently do the past two years.

If Baalke wants the noise to go down, he'll need to fortify the roster in the offseason. If the Jacksonville Jaguars make the playoffs and win the AFC South, he'll only get the spotlight because of his role in the team's success, like it happened in 2022.

On the other hand, there can no longer be any leaks about him and Pederson being in disagreement with the coaching staff. Simply, he needs to focus on doing his job and letting Pederson do his. On the off chance that Baalke wasn't truthful about respecting Pederson's staff decisions, it will eventually come to light.

All things considered, Baalke shared several interesting tidbits during the 30-minute exchange. Now that he's set the record straight, he must turn his attention to ensuring the Jacksonville Jaguars are in a position to succeed in 2024.

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