The Jacksonville Jaguars are moving a long swimmingly in the post Tom Coughlin era. According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, that includes Jacksonville hiring former San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke to be its new director of player personnel.
This is a name that comes completely out of left field. Baalke served as the 49ers’ general manager from 2011-16, working with then head coach Jim Harbaugh to lead the team to three consecutive NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance.
The relationship between these two deteriorated in a big way, leading to Harbaugh’s departure from San Francisco following the 2015 season. Baalke was then fired by the 49ers following the 2016 season to make room for the tandem of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan.
It seems as if Baalke will have a major say in the Jaguars’ player personnel decisions from here on out. He has not held an official position for any NFL team since being jettisoned out of San Francisco.
Needless to say, this will be a rather interesting marriage.