Will Keeping GM Baalke Come Back to Bite Jacksonville?

After the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Shad Khan fired Doug Pederson but decided to keep general manager Trent Baalke.

Jacksonville Jaguars Manager Trent Baalke walks off the field during the third day of an NFL football training camp practice Friday, July 26, 2024 at EverBank Stadium’s Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jacksonville Jaguars made their first decision following a disappointing season by firing their head coach, Doug Pederson. Though Pederson got the axe, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan decided to keep general manager Trent Baalke. Will that decision come back to bite the Jaguars?

Baalke concluded his fourth season as the general manager for the Jaguars, and since taking over the reigns, the Jaguars have a cumulative record of 25-43. After strong claims by Khan to begin the season, the Jaguars did not live up to the expectations.

Mike Florio and Chris Simms broke down the release of Pederson and the retainment of Baalke on "Pro Football Talk". While Pederson was in charge of leading the charge, Baalke signed the talent. Could the departure of Pederson and keeping Baalke be the wrong move for the Jaguars future?

"There are selling points. Look Tren Baalke has Trevor Lawrence on the roster, Brian Thomas Jr, there are reasons to get excited about what Jacksonville could be," Florio said. "I'm a firm believer in coach and GM, I've said this for years, equal accountability. There should never be a situation where one could point at the other and say it is his fault, that is dysfunction. The coach and the GM either thrive together, or die together."

Khan keeping Baalke around tells Jaguar fans that he still believes he is the best man for the job. It is now Baalke's job to add pieces to the "best constructed Jaguars team ever" in hopes they can get to double digit wins next season. The pieces are there, but is the Jaguars head coach position worth the partnership with Baalke?

"I don't mean any disrespect to Trent Baalke, but the word on the street is nobody wants to work with him," Florio said. "Anybody that's got juice, is going to go somewhere else. When you hear something like that repeatedly, you get to a point where you don't ignore it."

While the Detroit Lions' Ben Johnson has been linked to leave the Lions for a head coach position, it may take some extensive convincing to get Johnson to Jacksonville with Lawrence and Thomas Jr as the selling points. The draft has a chance to boost those odds, should Baalke select a franchise-altering talent.

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