Why did the Jacksonville Jaguars wait so long to fire general manager Trent Baalke?
That’s a question many fans are asking in Jacksonville right now, wondering if it cost them a chance to land their desired head coach. The question is valid. The reality is that Baalke should have been fired a long time ago. For some reason, he continually seemed to thrive inside the building while others would get let go The mess would happen and the guy who was a big reason for it would stay behind to try and clean it up — even if he didn’t take blame for any of it.
I always thought owner Shad Khan was way too loyal to Baalke over the years, and especially this past season when what looked to be a playoff contender ended up with four victories.
Yet when Doug Pederson was fired after the season, Khan kept Baalke around, which was not the right thing to do. Word was he needed him as a helping hand in the coaching-search process, but it also ended up being more of a detriment.
Now, with coaches like Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn opting for jobs elsewhere, Khan decided to fire Baalke Wednesday — although they say it was mutual — sending joy throughout Duval County. There was a lot of chatter in league circles to people I spoke with that Baalke was a major road block to some coaches wanting to come to Jacksonville.
The disdain for Baalke before Wednesday’s decision in Jacksonville was at an all-time high — which is saying something because the fans and many in the local media thought he should have been gone a long time ago. Baalke stayed in large part because many who have been around him say he’s a pro at the politics game. Think about this: He once won a power struggle in San Francisco with Jim Harbaugh, getting him fired. Harbaugh is one of the best coaches in the business, yet Baalke won.
That’s talent.
The reality is Baalke isn’t a terrible football man. If he were a scout or personnel director in your building, he’d be fine. Does he make all the right moves? Not even close. But he knows the scouting world.
He did made a handful of horrible moves that put his job in jeopardy in recent years. His free-agent class from this past season was terrible, with Khan doling out big money for players who didn’t live up to the hype. Some actually were benched for young players who should have been backups.
Baalke also had two No. 1 overall picks in his time as the team’s GM and would have had the fifth overall pick this year if he wasn’t let to. One of his No. 1 picks was used to take Trevor Lawrence and the other was used to take Travon Walker, who is a good player but he isn’t Aidan Hutchinson, who went second that year to the Detroit Lions. Premium picks like that should mean a good team. It didn’t.
There were other questionable decisions, which is why the team hasn’t won much on his watch. That isn’t to say he didn’t have some hits that deserve praise, like 2024 first-round receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who will be a star.
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When Khan came out before the season and said this was the most talented team in Jaguars history, it was clearly something he was told by Baalke, although nobody admitted to that. Pederson said he didn’t tell Khan that, and why would he? If things went bad, it would be on his head, not Baalke’s. That’s playing the game 101 for the GM.
So where do the Jaguars go now? For starters, they should hire an executive VP to oversee the football side of things. That person would report to Khan. The new general manager and coach would as well, with the coach likely having the most juice in the building.
The leading candidate right now is believed to be former Jets coach Robert Saleh. He was the linebackers coach in Jacksonville from 2014-16 and Khan knows him well. The ownership situation would be much better in Jacksonville for Saleh than it was with meddling Woody Johnson in New York.
Khan has taken a lot of criticism because his team hasn’t won much since he’s become the owner. In fact, they have the worst record in the league at 64-148 since he bought the team in 2012. But it’s not for a lack of trying. He will spend, which he did last year to give quarterback Trevor Lawrence, defensive end Josh Hines-Allen and corner Tyson Campbell contracts that make them among the highest-paid players at their positions. Their contracts totaled $493 million with $250 million guaranteed.
Khan also got a new practice facility built and is spending a lot of his own money to get a new stadium. He also isn’t an owner who will tell the general manager or coach who to draft and who to sign.
That makes it a great job. Khan also badly wants to win. The years of losing have worn on him, according to those around him. He craves a winner. The man made millions building bumpers for cars, so he’s smart and savvy when it comes to business. He just needs help with this football thing.
The key if Saleh were to be the choice would be his offensive coordinator hire. Two names to watch are Mike LaFleur, the offensive coordinator of the Rams, who was with Saleh with the Jets before he was fired. And Adam Stenavich, the Green Bay run-game coordinator. Saleh was a consultant for the Packers this season after being fired, so there’s that connection. The Rams would have to allow LaFleur to leave, but Rams coach Sean McVay has done that in the past if guys have a chance to call plays, which LaFleur doesn’t do in Los Angeles.
Making Lawrence right is the top priority for whoever is named the coach. The offense can’t just be horizontal like it’s been the past few years. With Thomas as the vertical threat, they have to drive the ball down the field.
The new GM will have to improve the interior of the offensive line, the interior of the defensive line and find a corner. They have some contract decisions to make as well since they have their fair share of bloated ones, thanks to Baalke and some of his excesses.
But there is a good nucleus. They have the quarterback, two good pass rushers, two solid tackles, a good corner in Campbell and the big-play receiver in Thomas. They need to fill in some key spots, but this isn’t a team that far off, provided Lawrence can be unleashed.
In talking to people around the league, Lawrence was one of the star attractions about the job. I’d rather have the Jacksonville job with Lawrence than the Jets job with the quarterback uncertainty.
So now that the Jaguars can move forward with a new plan, I will lay it out for them:
1. Hire an executive VP.
2. Hire the coach.
3. Hire the right general manager and not somebody who will battle the coach and make it an ego thing.
4. Fix Lawrence and make the offense his, not trying to fit him to an offense.
4. Get bigger.
5. Get tougher.
6. Make Thomas your Ja’Marr Chase-Justin Jefferson-type feature receiver.
7. Build the interior of the offensive line.
8. Get the right offensive line coach — always a key hire.
9. Keep special-teams coach Heath Farwell. He’s too good. If not him, bring home former Jaguars linebacker Brant Boyer, who was Saleh’s special teams coach with the Jets.
9. Trim the salary cap fat.
10. Learn how to take advantage of an owner who is more than willing to try and build a winner — even if it might not seem that way to those on the outside. The assets are there, the cash is there, the desire is there, but now it’s up to Khan to get the right people to make it work.
Getting rid of Baalke was the first and right step to trying to make this team a winner.
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