Trent Baalke has been fired as general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 22, 2025 at 4:34 pm
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Trent Baalke is out as general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars, just weeks after owner Shad Khan had decided to keep him on the job.
Baalke’s departure comes just over a month after Khan fired head coach Doug Pederson after a 4-13 season. The Jaguars went 25-43 during Baalke’s four-year tenure, and he became an object of scorn from fans over his choice of players and coaches.
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The Jaguars also have missed out on possible head coaches in recent weeks as several top candidates have signed elsewhere.
Khan’s statement said the decision for Baalke to leave came after several discussions between the two of them this week. Both arrived at the conclusion that it was “in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately,” Khan said.
“Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons,” Khan’s statement said. “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.”
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Ethan Waugh moves up from assistant general manager to interim GM as the team continues the process of interviewing candidates to serve as head coach.
In defense of Baalke
Khan had not ruled out firing Baalke earlier this month, after he fired Pederson. During a news conference Jan. 6, Khan said that if keeping Baalke was a hangup for a coaching candidate, he would explore a change in that position.
“If they have reservations, I want to address them honestly and openly, OK, because our goal is they need to be successful,” Khan said at the time. “What do we have to give them to be successful? And fear, preconceived notions, whatever that can inhibit the right performance. But if they need something, obviously we want to listen and we want to improve. I mean, I know we can improve.”
But at one point, he appeared to defend Baalke and his choice of players.
“Overall, I think, it’s pretty good,” Khan said. “I mean, it was a collaborative effort — what are the schemes, what kind of players we need? And you know, some things didn’t work out. It’s just not one person.”
At that same news conference, Baalke was asked if he was disappointed at how the team played this season, considering high expectations going in.
“I don’t know if surprise is the right word. Ultimately, that’s not my decision. That’s the decision of ownership,” Balke said. “I certainly respect the decision that’s been made (to fire Pederson). And don’t take the job lightly.
“You know, the real fact, the bottom line, is we weren’t productive on the field. We didn’t win enough games, and I don’t shy away from that. I’m just as responsible as anybody else. And you know, all we can do now is roll up our sleeves and go to work.”
The coaching search
Baalke’s firing comes as the search for a new coach is faltering as three candidates chose to go elsewhere.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen decided Wednesday to stay with Tampa Bay after getting a new contract, just hours before Khan fired Baalke.
Coen had been the favorite to lead the Jaguars after Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson accepted the Bears’ head coaching job and a third candidate, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, was hired as the New York Jets’ head coach.
The Jaguars say they conducted initial interviews with 10 candidates. Former Jets head coach Robert Saleh and Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham are among the leading candidates who remain.
