Jaguar Report

EXCLUSIVE: Prominent Jaguars Coaching Candidate on Keeping GM Trent Baalke

What does one Jacksonville Jaguars potential coaching candidate think about the Jaguars keeping general manager Trent Baalke?

John Shipley

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Change has officially taken place in Jacksonville, with the firing of Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson being made official on Monday morning.

In the aftermath of Pederson's firing however is one glaring and impactful factor in the Jaguars' future: general manager Trent Baalke, who Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement would help assist with the search for Pederson's replacement.

Baalke, who will now be a part of hiring his third different coach in Jacksonville, has been a lightning rod of criticism throughout his time as Jaguars general manager. A big reason for this is Baalke's reported reputation throughout league circles, which paints him as a difficult person to work with and one who often clashes with coaching staffs under his watch.

The coaching community was on notice in 2022 when the Jaguars retained Baalke, with several coaches expressing private skepticism on the attractiveness of the Jaguars job if it meant being forced into a marriage with Baalke.

Those questions are not going away this time around, either.

Jacksonville Jaguars On Sports Illustrated reached out to one prominent candidate mentioned multiple times as a potential answer for the Jaguars' future. The coach was asked about the impact of retaining Baalke, and replied:

"For the Jaguars to change direction, you have to actually change direction. Retaining Trent Baalke greatly diminishes my interest in that job. Lot's of promise, but same roadblocks."

The coach is far from the only person in the NFL sphere who is expressing skepticism about the Jaguars' plan, with several members of NFL media also sounding off on the Jaguars' decision on Monday.

In short, it does not appear Baalke's reputation among the coaching community improved all that much in three years working alongside Pederson. But Jaguars owner Shad Khan made it clear in 2022 that he did not care about the outside opinion of Baalke; he only cared about what he saw in his general manager.

With Baalke now set to return and aid in the hiring of yet another coach in Jacksonville, it is clear that Khan's opinion on Baalke -- and on the thoughts several have about Baalke -- has not changed much, if at all, since the 2022 offseason.

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John Shipley
JOHN SHIPLEY

John Shipley has been covering the Jacksonville Jaguars as a beat reporter and publisher of Jaguar Report since 2019. Previously, he covered UCF's undefeated season as a beat reporter for NSM.Today, covered high school prep sports in Central Florida, and covered local sports and news for the Palatka Daily News. Follow John Shipley on Twitter at @_john_shipley.

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