The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired their general manager, Trent Baalke. This was a surprisingly late move from the Jaguars, who seemed satisfied with keeping Baalke after the season ended. When Jacksonville finished the season with a 4-13 record, they fired head coach Doug Pederson but held onto Baalke. But now, weeks later, they have fired the general manager when the best prospects of the coaching carousel are already gone. This dysfunctional process has led to more criticism of the organization and its owner Shad Khan. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ lack of urgency and foresight leaves them disadvantaged as they search for a new coach and general manager.
Doug Pederson’s Firing

The Jacksonville Jaguars organization has incidentally thrown a wrench in their offseason success. Firstly, the way they handled head coach Doug Pederson was questionable. Pederson had success with the Jaguars in the past, bringing them to the playoffs a few seasons ago. And before their late-season collapse in 2023, they were on track to make the playoffs again. But this season was bad all around. It became obvious early on that Pederson would likely be fired at the end of the season. It felt inevitable and everyone could see it coming.
But inexplicably, the Jacksonville Jaguars waited. Pederson looked visibly checked out during press conferences and fans were counting the days until he was let go. But Khan waited and waited until the end of the season when Pederson’s departure was obvious a few weeks in. If they had fired him during the season, this could have given the Jaguars a head start on their head coach search. If the organization took advantage of those extra weeks, then they may not be in the predicament they find themselves in now. Instead, they sat on their hands, which has become a common theme of their offseason thus far.
Trent Baalke’s Dysfunction

With Pederson gone, the Jacksonville Jaguars began to search for a head coach. But, with Baalke still holding the general manager position, many of the top coaches on the market were not interested in Jacksonville. Ben Johnson was one of the best coaches available. He has had success as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator and was pursued by many teams. But because Jacksonville stood firm with Baalke, Johnson was not interested in the Jaguars organization. Johnson chose the Chicago Bears head coaching job, leaving the Jacksonville Jaguars without one of their top candidates.
A similar thing happened with Liam Coen, the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coen was pursued by the Jacksonville Jaguars but chose to stay with the Buccaneers as the offensive coordinator. Coen’s decision to keep his old job rather than work under Baalke was the indicator that led to Baalke’s firing, but it was far too late. If the Jaguars had fired Pederson during the season, they could have come to this realization sooner. But they waited on firing Pederson and then waited on firing Baalke. This caused them to miss out on some of the best head coach candidates available.
Where the Jacksonville Jaguars Go from Here
