Jacksonville Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan stated in a press release that the workforce has agreed to “respectfully separate” from normal supervisor Trent Baalke.
This morning, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported “Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen is taking himself out of the working for the Jaguars’ head teaching job to remain in Tampa on a brand new contract that now will place him amongst the highest-paid coordinators within the NFL, per sources.”
On Monday, former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson finalized a deal to change into the Bears’ new head coach.
Johnson and Coen have been broadly reported to be Jacksonville’s high two preferences for its head coach emptiness. Baalke was retained when Doug Pederson was fired, however he reached the tip of his leash when the Jaguars whiffed this week.
Baalke had served because the Jaguars’ normal supervisor in a full-time capability since 2021. The workforce had a 25-43 document (.368 profitable proportion) with two playoff appearances and one playoff win in that span. He was initially employed as director of participant personnel in 2020 and was rapidly promoted to interim normal supervisor when Dave Caldwell received the pink slip in November.
Beforehand, Baalke spent a dozen seasons within the 49ers’ entrance workplace, together with six years as normal supervisor from 2011-16. The Niners had a 51-44 document (.537) in that span and went to 3 straight convention championships with one Tremendous Bowl look. Baalke and coach Jim Harbaugh had an unsightly break up, although, which largely started Baalke’s poor repute across the league. Harbaugh was ousted — an abysmal resolution in hindsight — and Baalke caught round a couple of extra years earlier than ultimately being relieved of his duties.
Baalke took over a rebuilding Jaguars workforce in 2021 that lucked into incomes the draft’s high quarterback prospect, Trevor Lawrence. That draft class additionally included Travis Etienne, Tyson Campbell, Walker Little, Andre Cisco and Luke Farrell. Baalke signed Lawrence, Campbell and Little to long-term contract extensions final 12 months.
These three gamers, plus a couple of different first-rounders in Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, Anton Harrison and Brian Thomas Jr., are the inspiration of the present roster. It’s a tremendous record, nevertheless it needs to be longer contemplating Caldwell’s accrued draft capital and Khan’s willingness to spend money.
Baalke partook in a number of free company sprees, however even his greatest hits (Christian Kirk, Brandon Scherff, Foye Oluokun) arguably haven’t performed as much as the massive greenback quantities it took to attract them to city. His misses, together with after the primary spherical of drafts, are too many to rely.
Baalke’s expertise evaluations in Jacksonville have been mediocre at finest, even when the teaching employees didn’t do its half in maximizing the gamers he added. However what’s worse was his course of.
He was gradual to re-interview candidates this week, giving Tampa Bay time to persuade Coen to return. He declined a reduction on Hines-Allen in 2023 and needed to overpay to maintain him in 2024. He drafted Walker over Aidan Hutchinson due to an infatuation for arm size. He didn’t do sufficient to encompass Lawrence with expertise regardless of being the most important overpayer within the league.
Finally, Lawrence and Thomas Jr. are the one Professional Bowl gamers he dropped at Jacksonville.
Since Khan took virtually all soccer recommendation immediately from Baalke, he’ll probably lean on interim normal supervisor Ethan Waugh to discover a new coach earlier than the market dries up.The Jaguars are nonetheless set to interview Robert Saleh and Patrick Graham in individual, and perhaps Coen remains to be in play contemplating he is but to formally signal a brand new cope with the Bucs.
Khan took far too lengthy to free the franchise of Baalke’s management. As a result of his apathy, no NFL workforce has a worse profitable proportion since he purchased the workforce in 2012. However this metropolis lucked right into a franchise. This franchise lucked right into a quarterback. And if this quarterback lucks into a superb head coach/normal supervisor pairing… the Jaguars might not be losers anymore. We are able to dream once more.
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