Jacksonville Jaguars fans, the clown show might be working. Previously it had been reported that Jaguars owner Shahid Khan planned to retain general manager Trent Baalke for 2022. But that may not necessarily be set in stone quite yet.
Sports Illustrated’s John Shipley notes Baalke has yet to officially be retained as the team’s GM for next year. But he also cautions that it’s still expected to happen.
Still, maybe it leaves open the possibility that once the Jags get to talking with more head coaching candidates, they will realize it doesn’t make sense to keep Baalke and hire a new coach. Generally, when a team is in the doldrums, you change both. It’s best if the coach and GM are on the same page.
Should they keep Baalke, they potentially face a scenario where if they have another disappointing year, they’re searching for a new general manager next year when they hired their coach a year before. They’ll be in the same exact spot they are now, which wouldn’t be ideal for anyone.
Trent Baalke has Jaguars in position for consecutive No. 1 picks
The Jaguars have drawn criticism from many angles this season for how they’ve responded to various events. Planning to retain Baalke is just another miscue. What exactly do they see in him?
In the event that they lose on Sunday, the Jags will become one of just eight teams to ever finish with back-to-back No. 1 overall picks.
If Baalke is kept in the front office, one name we can rule out for their next head coach is Jim Harbaugh, since Baalke was the one who fired him in San Francisco. Baalke then went on to promote Jim Tomsula and eventually hired Chip Kelly. But then again, maybe it’s best if the Jags stay away from any more college coaches after the Urban Meyer experiment was an absolute failure.
