The Jacksonville Jaguars and general manager Trent Baalke are parting ways after four seasons with Baalke in the role, the team announced Wednesday.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan said the team and Baalke made the decision after several discussions this week.
“Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons,” Khan said in a statement. “Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager and play an important role, with others, as we continue the process of interviewing candidates to serve as our new head coach.
“I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike.”
It’s the second time Baalke has been been let go from his role as an NFL general manager. He served in the same capacity for the San Francisco 49ers for six seasons (2011-2016) before he was fired along with coach Chip Kelly.
Baalke, 60, initially served as director of player personnel for the Jaguars in 2020 before being shifted to interim GM later that November after the team fired David Caldwell. Jacksonville elevated Baalke to full-time status not long after.
Baalke struck out with his first head coaching hire in Jacksonville with Urban Meyer not even lasting one full season. In December 2021, the Jags fired Meyer after going 2-11 in a tenure marred by controversy. Darrell Bevell became interim head coach for the final four games. Baalke hired Doug Pederson in February 2022, seemingly a turning point in the franchise with an AFC South title and Wild Card win in their first season together.
The last five coaches — Jim Tomsula, Kelly, Meyer, Bevell and Pederson — to work under Baalke compiled a combined 31-68 record.
As a general manager, Baalke spent a combined $86 million per year in annual contract investments his second year in control trying to jump-start the development of Trevor Lawrence. The impact of that talent infusion didn’t last. While the Jaguars jumped from 3-14 to 9-8 year-over-year and made the playoffs, it was short-lived. Jacksonville failed to improve their record in 2023 with another 9-8 record and have not appeared in the postseason since. Three years after that massive free agent haul, three players — tight end Evan Engram, wide receiver Christian Kirk and linebacker Foyesade Oluokun — are still with the team.
Between his years as director of player personnel and general manager, Jacksonville finished with three top-10 draft picks and two No. 1 selections. Baalke has had a lackluster record finding talent in April. He took a big risk in the 2022 draft selecting Travon Walker, a highly-athletic edge rusher with little collegiate experience, first overall in an edge-heavy draft class that saw Aidan Hutchinson and Kayvon Thibodeaux both go in the top-five. Lawrence, considered a can’t-miss generational quarterback, has struggled to find consistent footing among the league’s elite signal callers. In the same draft Jacksonville secured Lawrence, Baalke drafted running back Travis Etienne with a first-round pick.
Baalke has also failed to develop starting-caliber talent outside the top of the draft. Pro Football Reference tracks how many seasons a player served as a team’s majority starter at their given position. Of the 31 picks Jacksonville has had in the fourth round or later under Baalke, only four of those players became majority starters for a single season while just 16 have played in double-digit games.
(Photo: James Gilbert / Getty Images)
