JANUARY 4: It still remains to be seen if one or both members of the Pederson-Baalke pairing will be let go soon, but a change in the front office could be needed if Khan targets a notable coaching move. Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports many around the league believe firing Baalke will be a requirement for the top HC candidates to consider the Jacksonville gig, provided it becomes available. The Jaguars will remain one of the teams worth watching closely once the regular season ends.
JANUARY 3: One of the NFL’s two active second-chance GMs has overseen one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams. After authorizing the three most lucrative extensions in Jaguars history (for Trevor Lawrence, Josh Hines-Allen and Tyson Campbell), Trent Baalke has seen the team tumble to a 4-12 record.
It would seem likely Doug Pederson is heading into his final game as Jags HC, based on the unraveling that has taken place since December 2023, but Shad Khan has not made any clear indications about which way he is leaning. Many around the NFL expect Pederson to be fired, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, but the former Super Bowl-winning HC may have a sliver of hope to stay.
Pederson has been “projecting confidence,” according to some in the NFL, Fowler adds. With the Jags following back-to-back 9-8 seasons with a campaign that can max out at just five wins, it would be difficult to overstate how hot Pederson’s seat would be if Khan gave him another chance.
Then again, Khan kept Gus Bradley on for a fourth season after he had strung together three straight years with at least 11 losses. Doug Marrone also coached four full seasons, having finished with double-digit losses in three of those. By that standard, firing Pederson would represent a quick hook. Then again, more was expected from Lawrence-centered Pederson teams — especially over the past two seasons.
The longtime Jags owner said before the season this year’s team carried the most talented roster in franchise history. Even in the moment, that appeared to significantly underrate the franchise’s late-1990s rosters, but Khan making that comment only to see what has transpired points to Pederson being days away from an ouster. Baalke is undoubtedly on thin ice, too, though he has survived after being at risk of an in-season dismissal. Khan had projected confidence in his power duo, doing so around the same time John Mara professed support for his. Both the Jags and Giants have moved toward the No. 1 overall pick in the weeks since.
Promoted to GM during Urban Meyer‘s disastrous year in charge, Baalke was given the green light to hire Pederson in 2022. In mid-December, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz predicted the Jags would stay the course with Baalke. Considering Baalke has been in Jacksonville for both the franchise’s recent No. 1 overall picks — which featured a Travon Walker-over-Aidan Hutchinson call — it would be somewhat surprising if Khan did not clear the decks in hopes of hiring a new regime to better maximize his roster.
Most around the NFL expect Baalke to be canned, but Fowler adds some league personnel are pointing to the former 49ers GM’s resiliency in reminding not to assume this is a lock. Baalke memorably won a power struggle with Jim Harbaugh, leading the latter to Michigan after the 2014 season. The 49ers’ fortunes significantly worsened in the two years Baalke operated without Harbaugh, and the GM was fired after the ’16 campaign. This Jags effort has not provided the kind of bounce-back offering Khan hoped for when appointing Baalke to the GM post.
The relationship between Baalke and Pederson was believed to be strained as early as September, and a subsequent report had Baalke urging Pederson to fire OC Press Taylor — a Pederson lieutenant in Philadelphia and Jacksonville — after last season. Pederson kept Taylor on and continued with him calling plays. That decision has played a role in the Jags’ descent, though other factors — Lawrence’s injuries among them — have been part of this tumble as well. Will Sunday be it for Pederson and Baalke in Jacksonville or will one of them continue on without the other?
I tend to push back on what I think is impatient clamoring to fire people just to take action after a disappointing season, but in this situation: Can anyone make a good case to retain either of these guys?
I’d say that argument would rebolve around what you think of Lawrence. I think at least Baalke needs to go as well, but I’m not sure who could coach this team to any success.
I’m not holding out hope for Lawrence to suddenly turn into an elite quarterback, but they certainly paid for him to be their long-term plan, and I think he could look a whole lot better with an offensive coach who did anything good modern coaches do to create easier wins for their passers. I also think a good coach would be attracted to a chance to work with Lawrence and Brian Thomas Jr. But I also think keeping Baalke around sours the deal.
IF he has the right OC like he did for several solid seasons in Tennessee, Vrabel could make this work. If he turned their D into a top 5-10 unit like he did the Titans, that might be the biggest boost that Lawrence could get.
The right OC and Derrick Henry too
Patient clamoring is overrated.
If there’s one positive from this season jaguars lost 9 games by one score. Sure they’re 4-12 but could easily have been 7-10 or 8-9 this year.
They have some cap room
They have some high draft pick coming in
If im Khan im giving it one more go but Pederson needs to bring in better coordinators.
On offense id offer the OC position to Tony Elliot who’s currently the HC of Virginia but Lawrence’s former OC at Clemson. I’d also bring back Brandon Streeter who was his QB coach at Clemson but is currently an offensive analyst at Georgia. Wouldn’t hurt to bring back some familiartiy for Lawrence.
On defense I’m targeting Robert Saleh to come back and fix this mess. Name your salary far as I’m concerned if im khan.
Not bad ideas; at least, they don’t sound bad. I don’t know enough about the specific offenses and how they’d fit with Pederson, who is a hands on offensive coach. Would a current HC, even on a college level, be willing to take an offensive coordinator job working underneath someone else (especially running that coach’s offense)? Maybe, maybe not. Even if he is, could they blend the concepts?
Pederson was married to Press Taylor, even at his own expense. He’s someone who has a lot of control in the offense. You have specific suggestions, which is good, and more than most of us. I would wonder whether Pederson can adjust to any outside influence, as that’s been his downside over his career. Even if he could, I wonder about compatibility as well.
If Shad keeps them, he better bust out the tarps again.
Maybe it’s the ownership too that needs to go.(?)
baalke must have compromising information on nfl execs
I have some too: some of them keep hiring Trent Baalke.
Who knows what the vibe in that locker room is? If the guys are still playing hard for the coach, he should stay. If he’s lost the room, he should go. That simple. Continuity is always better if there’s hope. Hopefully Lawrence isn’t a bust. Hopefully for their sake. I don’t really care personally.
The walker pick seems inexcusable though on the scouting/gm side, but it was a pretty awful draft at the top anyway, all things considered. Who knows what Hutchinson would have been in Jacksonville?
I’m pretty sure Hutchinson would have been Hutchinson in Jacksonville. He would have had a better pass rushing complement than he’s ever had in Detroit. Baalke has also reached up and down the draft.
This Team lacks an identity; NO FIRE; NO PASSION etc. see Steelers during a game and on the sideline (it never stops ). These Jaguar players act as if they do not care. Baalke with his reputation should have never been hired to begin with. Something is bad wrong and just Pederson’s demeanor when answering the media after some of these games has been a disaster. I firmly believe that both should be fired. I’d wear a paper bag mask to games until they begin winning again if I lived close enough to attend games.
I’m onboard 100% with the lack of passion perspective. I call Lawrence “Bo Callahan” for this very reason: he’s standoffish and unconcerned … even his interview replies feel canned/boilerplate.
The flip side is how suddenly Etienne fell off a cliff, leading me to believe that OL is simply not good (although better than several others)
I can’t call it definitively but, personally, shouldn’t the first priority be protecting these young QBs and THEN surround them with as many weapons as possible (aka: the opposite of what Chicago did for Fields & Caleb)
Darnell’s went from seeing ghosts to making the Pro Bowl; that’s a testament to protection > weapons because although he has Jefferson, he actually has time to find him
I don’t think Lawrence is worth $55MM but his recent concussion was a result of him trying to gain a first down in a game that meant nothing to the Jags in terms of reaching the playoffs. That doesn’t sound like a player who is unconcerned.
They should just put Christian Kirk in charge. GM/Coach/WR. They fell pretty hard since he got hurt last season. This would ensure he is still around if he gets hurt.
This would also be innovative, a postmodern* idea to fly beyond the modern game.
* i don’t really know what this means, but it fits
Colts tried that approach with former center Jeff Saturday.
He won his first game! That’s actually another good idea: a new head coach EVERY week. Get that dead-cat bounce 17 times a year!
Coming in and cleaning up the embarrassing, idiotic, narcissistic, Urban Meyer circus should give Doug Pederson at least another year. First year wasn’t all about football.
Yes, yet another STUPID hire … Party Man Urban Meyer. Does Kahn actually vette any of these candidates? Wasn’t he curious as to why Philadelphia fired Pederson to begin with?
I feel Ben Johnson; Mike Vrabel; Cliff Kingsbury; Brian Flores; Pete Carroll would all be solid candidates.
Ben Johnson is the dream. He’s coming in with Baalke on board, though. Johnson would actually be a perfect for a few reasons, but the biggest are that the Jags have a disappointing but still potentially high upside player in Lawrence, and are playing in a division that’s wide open. Plus, Johnson would get immense freedom, presumably, in shaping the roster. Khan gets a lot of criticism from fans, but by all accounts, he allows his coaches a great deal of leeway in building their teams.
If Baalke can be removed, Johnson could get a malleable roster in a weak division with a young quarterback with potential-not to mention a dynamic running back that could do a few similar things to Gibbs as a pass catcher. If Johnson can, once again, reclaim a formerly average QB, he could build a long running success in Jacksonville relatively quickly. Of course, he’d have to get a reliable GM-Brad Holmes has done a remarkable job in Detroit, and the defense has really stepped up on the other side of the ball. Johnson hasn’t had to worry about that before-but if he does it well, the Jags look like a great fit to me.
I agree. I believe the Jaguars would be a great fit for him; Vrabel; Kingsbury (though he has already worked with the Bears QB in college – better fit there); aside from age Pete Carroll has proven what he can do. I believe Jacksonville and Khan are the most comfortable fit for Ben Johnson. Recogn Kahn can verbalize the problems and proposed solutions which is what Johnson wants to hear?
You’re talking about the same urban Meyer who’s won three national championships and you sit on your potty training chair every Saturday morning hoping he says that your college team is gonna win
Switzer also won 3 championships and a Super Bowl soooo ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How many rings do you have. The one that’s in your nose that your wife hooks the chain to doesn’t count
The one in my office
It reads:
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS on top
OKLAHOMA SOONERS on the side
NUNYA on the other side
Yeah: Aikman, Boz, Casillas, Jackson…
Your move, f’in impotent troll
And what did Urban Meyer actually do ? Became a Public Relations Nightmare grinding with some girl half his age; allegedly kicked and cursed at a Jaguars Player during practice; allegedly showed his other Coaches very little respect and prodcued a losing record. He should remain in the college ranks.
Don’t be upset when the next time you see him, he’s dancing with your wife
She’s too old for him – LMAO. Plus, she’s way too picky for his Ugly Mug. But you keep worshipping him.
I’m sure she enjoys living in your 1565 square-foot house.
Mr. Moose … seems that you might benefit from some Anger Counseling. You seem troubled with your disparaging comments.
I’m confused. Is the house thing an insult?
needs to go as well, but I’m not sure who could coach this team to any success.
You would think picking Travon Walker over Aidan Hutchinson would be enough to get Baalke fired. Not to mention the numbers of coaches that refused to interview unless he was let go.
What has either done to warrant more opportunity to drive this franchise into gutter. Think most high ups get fired to quickly but these 2 have run there course. Nothing changed, nothing got better. Sooner Kahn realizes that n moves forward it will be gift to fanbase.
As I remember, Pederson was hired to guide Lawrence’s career as an elite QB. In the last year he has regressed so much it’s painful to watch. He will make throws that make Mahomes look like Mac Jones, then the next set of downs throw into triple coverage and just shake his head. Somebody needs to come in and rescue this kid before he gets so f***ed up he’ll never recover. It also doesn’t help that every time they get a decent player he gets traded, and the owner, although a nice man with a great mustache, appears to have gotten a copy of Football for Dummies for Xmas a few years ago and has been using it as a guideline.
I agree … I have pointed out to my hot Wife numerous times when I see a player on another Team by proclaiming … “he was drafted by the Jaguars !” … Bryan Anger as an example.
Knowing Kahn and some of his past choices … I would not be surprised in the least to see both retained for yet another year.
“We love being an afterthought, an easy W, a joke in the league yearly, yea, there doing great jobs.”
As a niners fan they should have fired him the day after they hired him. Dude had an infatuation with injured players in the draft.
This guy does not seem to care about his franchise. They have owners in Orlando lined up to buy the team, one of them being Dwight Howard, Shaq, LeBron . The majority owner would be the owner of the Orlando Magic and Disney .That’s why money has stopped. Going to Jacksonville for the new stadium. It would be on land that Disney donates with enough room to also build a domed baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay rays. There’s probably about a 75% chance this is gonna happen.