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Jacksonville Jaguars retain GM Trent Baalke: Will team struggle to hire a head coach?
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- Jacksonville Jaguars retain GM Trent Baalke: Will team struggle to hire a head coach?
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan announced Monday morning that the team has parted ways with head coach Doug Pederson .
He also announced that general manager Trent Baalke will help lead the search effort, intimating his retention after originally being hired by the franchise as the full-time general manager ahead of the 2021 season.
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"I had the difficult task this morning of informing Doug Pederson of my intention to hire a new head coach to lead the Jacksonville Jaguars . Doug is an accomplished football man who will undoubtedly enjoy another chapter in his impressive NFL career, and I will be rooting for Doug and his wife Jeannie when that occasion arrives," Khan said in a statement released Monday morning, shortly after the team's season-finale loss to the Indianapolis Colts .
GENE FRENETTE: Jaguars decide to split the baby, firing Doug Pederson, keeping Trent Baalke
Khan said his intention and obligation is to "serve the best interests of our team and especially our fans, who faithfully support our team and are overdue to be rewarded."
Khan added that it's time to bring in new leadership.
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"I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville," said Khan.
Trent Baalke retained, will help land sixth head coach, third with Jaguars
Trent Baalke, the general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars on the sidelines before the start of Saturday's game against the Chargers. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in their first round playoff game Saturday, January 14, 2023 at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars trailed 27 to 7 at the half. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]
Despite a 25-43 executive record since taking over as the team's full-time general manager in 2021 , Baalke will be a key cog in leading the search to find a new head coach for Jacksonville.
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It will mark Baalke's sixth head coach between 10 years as a general manager in the NFL, with the San Francisco 49ers for six years and in Jacksonville for four years.
Baalke has worked with Jim Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula, Chip Kelly, Urban Meyer and Pederson. It should be noted, though, that during his time in San Francisco , Baalke's 49ers made it to three straight NFC Championship games (2011-2013), and a Super Bowl during the 2012-13 season.
Typically, a general manager does not get many opportunities to hire multiple head coaches. But Jacksonville has had success under Baalke in the past, earning back-to-back winning seasons in 2022-23 and overhauling a roster to make the team competitive for the first time since 2017.
Could Jaguars struggle to entice head coaches after Baalke's retention ?
Trent Baalke was fired as the Jacksonville Jaguars general manager in January of 2025.
With Baalke back on board, the storylines and rumors that spread during the team's search in 2022 have returned to the forefront.
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For example, former USA Today NFL columnist, now with The Athletic, Mike Jones, said this in a column written after Khan announced that Baalke would be retained following the conclusion of the 2021 season that saw Meyer ousted: "But could that decision to retain the executive hamper the Jaguars' chances for success both in the short- and long-term?
"That's a question shared by some within the NFL, who view Baalke as a controversial figure and potential deterrent for some prime head coaching candidates. Khan's decision to retain Baalke has also created angst throughout the Jaguars fan base ," Jones wrote.
The key part of Jones' commentary centers around Baalke being a "potential deterrent for some prime head coaching candidates."
That sentiment doesn't seem to have been relieved much a few years later.
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That sentiment has been shared by other reporters, including Fox Sports NFL Insider Jordan Shultz, who released a slew of statements on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, from "NFL people" who are in "pure shock" that Jacksonville opted to keep Baalke.
A couple of quotes read "Unreal," "Makes no sense," and "The job is not as coveted with Trent there."
Sports Illustrated Senior NFL Reporter/Lead Content Strategist Albert Breer also speculated that Baalke's retention could be a non-negotiable for prospective coaching candidates around the league.
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"If keeping Trent Baalke is not negotiable for coaching candidates with Khan, that will really limit the pool the Jaguars are looking at," Breer said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Baalke's reputation around the league has often drawn scrutiny, especially following his exodus from the 49ers.
Still, Khan has enabled the GM to help search for the team's next head coach and Baalke's presence might be a deterrent unless there is an overhaul in structure and optimism about the direction of the franchise.
The one positive Jacksonville has? Quarterback Trevor Lawrence .
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Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Could Trent Baalke hurt Jacksonville Jaguars head coach search?
