Trent Baalke - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Hire Doug Pederson As HC

February 3rd, 2022 at 9:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jacksonville’s winding path toward hiring a head coach is coming to an end. Doug Pederson will land the job, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Jaguars have since announced the hire.

Pederson interviewed twice with the team, which is close to bringing in ex-Vikings GM Rick Spielman for a high-ranking front office position alongside Trent Baalke. Pederson, who led the Eagles to a win in Super Bowl LII, did not coach last season but was connected to multiple jobs during this year’s hiring cycle.

The former Philadelphia HC will soon work with another highly drafted quarterback, and Pederson spoke with Trevor Lawrence on the phone earlier Thursday night, Schefter tweets. While Pederson’s final season with Carson Wentz ended in the Eagles radically changing course, the veteran play-caller will have a chance to work with one of the top QB prospects to enter the NFL in many years.

At the end of this search, the Jags were also linked to recent Raiders interim HC Rich Bisaccia and Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich. The latter was believed to be in talks with the Jags about a deal last week, but momentum stalled. The former Jacksonville first-round pick may well have bowed out of this search earlier Thursday. Leftwich indeed balked at pairing with Baalke, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.

Pederson, 54, was the first candidate to meet with the Jaguars during the new in-season interview period. He also met with the Bears and Saints in the weeks following that initial Jags discussion.

Pederson clashed with Eagles management during his Philadelphia tenure, and SI.com’s Albert Breer notes his interest in the Jacksonville job cooled a bit because of the Jags’ commitment to Baalke. But Spielman’s potential arrival — for a position that could outrank Baalke’s — may have been enough to convince Pederson. The two share an agent, Breer adds (Twitter links).

The former Chiefs offensive coordinator went 42-37-1 as Eagles HC, with 2020’s disastrous 4-11-1 season heavily impacting that mark. Still, Pederson oversaw one of the most remarkable playoff runs in modern NFL history. The Eagles won Super Bowl LII as the NFC’s No. 1 seed but did so despite being underdogs in all three playoff games without Wentz. With notable assistance from then-OC Frank Reich, Pederson guided future Jaguar Nick Foles to two dominant performances to close out the Eagles’ championship run. The Eagles did not win 10 games in a season again under Pederson, however, with Wentz not playing up to his MVP-level form of previous years.

The Jaguars are attempting to shake off Shad Khan‘s poor Urban Meyer hire, and the team is in need of upgrades at most positions, having gone 4-29 over the past two seasons. Lawrence represents a potentially high-end centerpiece, adding to this job’s appeal despite the franchise’s struggles for most of the past decade and change. The Jags are also set to hold nearly $60MM in cap space, providing more resources for a rebuild. If nothing else, Khan figures to give Pederson plenty of time after the quick Meyer unraveling.

Latest On Jaguars, Rick Spielman

February 3rd, 2022 at 2:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

There are more signs pointing towards Rick Spielman being hired by the Jaguars. New details, more importantly, indicate that the position he is close to taking on would outrank that of general manager Trent Baalke (Twitter link via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones).

Specifically, Jones states that “momentum is gaining” for Spielman to “ultimately get a football position that reports directly to owner Shad Khan and is above [Baalke]”. That is an important distinction, given the fact that it was reported earlier this week that Spielman’s role was likely to be that of an assistant GM, allowing Baalke to be more ‘hands-on’ rather than handling day-to-day operations.

Earlier in the day, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that Spielman is headed for, essentially, a president role – something which many thought he would be transitioned to in Minnesota before he was fired. He adds that “there is progress being made” towards the hire becoming official. If it does, that would go a long way to easing concerns over the presence of Baalke, which has reportedly turned certain head coaching candidates away from the team.

On the point of the Jaguars’ HC vacancy, Garafolo also notes that Doug Pederson “would have been high on the Vikings’ list” if Spielman had remained in Minnesota. Between that, and the fact that Pederson has interviewed twice with Jacksonville, the Spielman hire becoming official would certainly point to the former Super Bowl champion getting the inside track for the HC job.

Jaguars Interview Rick Spielman For Non-GM Position

February 1st, 2022 at 10:42am CST by Adam La Rose

Amidst the confusion and controversy surrounding the Jaguars’ head coaching search, there has been a development of the front office side of the organization. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the team conducted an in-person interview with former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on Monday (Twitter link).

Rapoport details that Spielman interviewed for a “high-level front office position”. However, as his colleague Mike Garafolo tweets, the role he is potentially taking on is not that of GM. That would mean incumbent Trent Baalke, who has been the source of much dismay in the Jags’ fanbase and is thought to be an impediment to the teams’ search for a head coach, is likely to remain in place.

Further to that point, Mark Long of the Associated Press reports (via Twitter) that Baalke was thought to be looking for an executive “to take on an assistant GM role to handle day-to-day operations”. The reason for that, he continues, would be to allow Baalke “to be more hands-on with players on the field”. It would appear, then, that a hire like this would alter, but in a sense, expand, Baalke’s duties in Jacksonville.

Spielman was fired along with HC Mike Zimmer on ‘Black Monday’. That brought his 16-year tenure with the team – which included the last 10 seasons as GM – to an end. While the team is clearly set to move in a new direction, there was a good deal of success during the 59-year-old’s time there. If he were to come to Jacksonville, he would at a minimum represent an experienced voice in front office decisions, and potentially even quell the concerns of interested candidates wary of having to work under Baalke.

Bucs To Start Post-Brady Rebuild?

January 29th, 2022 at 9:03pm CST by Ely Allen

With three-time MVP quarterback Tom Brady announcing his retirement earlier today, speculation has already started on the future of the Buccaneers’ franchise. Brady’s retirement has experts wondering about the futures of tight end Rob Gronkowki and head coach Bruce Arians. Both have flirted with retirement before.

Contributing to the postulation on Arians’ situation is head coaching interest in the Buccaneers’ coordinators on both sides of the ball. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich recently had his second interview for the Jaguars open coaching position. Reportedly, talks have stalled as Leftwich has expressed issues with current general manager Trent Baalke continuing in that position, with Leftwich preferring Cardinals’ vice president of pro scouting Adrian Wilson to replace the polarizing GM. The Saints have requested an interview with Leftwich, who previously received interest from the Bears before they hired Matt Eberflus. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has interviewed with the Bears, Jaguars, Raiders, and Vikings. With the Bears’ job taken, Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels being the presumed frontrunner in Las Vegas, and Jacksonville having conducted multiple second interviews Bowles’ opportunities for a head coaching job are starting to dwindle, as well.

More cause for speculation has risen from an article from Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. In the article Wilson reports that Arians has informed the entire coaching staff that they have permission to seek jobs around the league regardless of whether or not the new position would be a promotion. With the potential exit of the two New England-legends and the impactful group of Buccaneers heading into free agency, this permission could potentially be an opportunity to abandon ship before the start of a Tampa Bay rebuild.

In terms of those free agents, joining free-agent-to-be Gronkowski are three other significant role players: wide receiver Chris Godwin, center Ryan Jensen, and cornerback Carlton Davis. Godwin is expected to be the top free agent priority in Tampa Bay after he received the franchise tag for this past season. Jensen came over three years ago from the Ravens on what then made him the highest paid center in the NFL. Davis was a key contributor due for a big contract year on defense before being placed on IR after Week 4 of the season and missing eight weeks during a crucial year.

The domino-effect of Brady’s retirement is already looming large over the Buccaneers’ prospects for the 2022 NFL season. Tampa Bay has the entire offseason to navigate these obstacles and mitigate the potential fallout. After winning a Super Bowl just last year, the departure of Brady could be as game-changing to the Buccaneers as his arrival was nearly two years ago.

Jags’ GM Backs Eberflus for HC

January 22nd, 2022 at 8:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jaguars have had a bit of turbulence as they try to replace Urban Meyer, but a favorite has emerged as Colts’ defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was the first candidate to be invited back for a second interview. An important aspect of Jacksonville’s search, Eberflus has received a strong backing from Jaguars’ general manager Trent Baalke, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Baalke has a reputation for being a difficult general manager for head coaches to work with. Back when Baalke was the 49ers’ general manager in 2014, many reports of clashes with Jim Harbaugh littered the season, which ended with San Francisco and Harbaugh parting ways. This has made the search for a new head coach difficult as La Canfora reports that top candidates for the job are “only seriously considering it if assured Baalke would be out following the draft.” Baalke has been accused by sources of trying to prize his job security while securing a head coach.

Baalke first endorsed University of Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, but, after O’Brien interviewed for the position, Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan‘s son, Tony Khan, and a high-ranking official with the team shared their issues with O’Brien’s history of toxicity.

With O’Brien out of the running, Baalke set his sights on Eberflus. The four-year defensive coordinator in Indianapolis has overseen a top-10 scoring defense in three of his four seasons calling the defense. Eberflus’s defense was exposed by the very team he’s interviewing for when the Colts’ allowed 26 points in a must-win Week 18 loss to the Jaguars that eliminated Indianapolis from postseason contention.

Jacksonville’s willingness to seriously consider the candidate Baalke prefers points to them potentially wanting to keep Baalke as general manager. If this is the route they follow, it will likely tie Baalke’s future to Eberflus’s. There are still several candidates alive in this search, though. Keep track of the situation by following our 2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Pats’ McDaniels Not Getting Interview Requests?

January 16th, 2022 at 10:26pm CST by Ely Allen

In an article for NBC Sports, Mike Florio divulged that a source with knowledge of the situation informed him that Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels hasn’t received requests to be interviewed by any of the eight teams currently looking for a new head coach. This development has surprised the Patriots, but they expect the situation to change soon.

McDaniels is a long time Patriots’ staffer, first joining the organization in 2001 as a personnel assistant. After a year, McDaniels worked with the team as a defensive assistant for two years before switching to the offensive side of the coaching staff. After one season as the Patriots’ quarterbacks coach, McDaniels was promoted to offensive coordinator, developing the Patriots’ offense into the juggernaut that broke several NFL records in the 2007 season. His coaching success led to much speculation that he could be a top candidate for head coaching jobs, but he pulled his name out of the ring before the Patriots even finished their playoff run.

When McDaniels was able to lead a Patriots team quarterbacked by Matt Cassel to an 11-5 record, following a season-ending injury to Tom Brady in Week 1 of the 2008 season, the Broncos saw fit to name McDaniels as their new head coach for the 2009 NFL season. McDaniels’s tenure in Denver started with a six-game win-streak before losing eight of the next ten games to finish the season 8-8. After a 3-9 start to the 2010 season, and multiple controversies from his handling of difficult players, Denver decided they’d seen enough and fired McDaniels after Week 13. McDaniels spent a year as the offensive coordinator of the Rams, under Steve Spagnuolo, before returning to New England following Spagnuolo’s firing.

McDaniels has stayed in Foxborough ever since. He’s continued to draw head coaching interest here and there, even accepting the head coach position for the Indianapolis Colts in February of 2018 before backing out of his commitment on the same day to stay in New England, prompting his long-time agent, Bob LaMonte, to sever ties with McDaniels.

McDaniels’s handling and development of rookie quarterback Mac Jones has led to some speculation that one of the two teams that have both 1) a head coaching vacancy and 2) a young quarterback might show immediate interest in the 45-year old coordinator. Can Bill Polian overlook his lack of a good relationship with McDaniels and advise that the Bears bring him in to mentor Justin Fields? Will McDaniels decide that he can handle working for Trent Baalke and agree to take Trevor Lawrence under his wing? Keep track of McDaniels and other candidates in our 2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker.

Jags’ GM Baalke Hurting Head Coach Search?

January 3rd, 2022 at 10:22am CST by Adam La Rose

The biggest storyline of the offseason for the Jaguars is their search for a new head coach. That process might be hindered by the man that new hire will report to, however. CBS’ Jason La Confora reports that ownership’s decision to keep GM Trent Baalke could deter certain candidates from taking the job.

The Jaguars have been the source of controversy since the hiring of Urban Meyer this offseason to take over as head coach at the NFL level. Having been fired midseason amid a slew of on- and off-the-field issues, owner Shad Khan has already started the process of requesting interviews with potential replacements. The fact that Baalke is still around, and playing a role in that search, however, is “already turning off several top candidates”, according to La Canfora.

The insider adds that it is believed by many in NFL circles that Baalke is an executive whose track record in terms of team-building isn’t worth the likely power struggles that would ensue between he and the new head coach. He adds that, “many of those [potential candidates] harbor reservations about the ability to truly thrive in Jacksonville” and that Baalke has been advocating for recently-hired Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien to be considered. The latter’s ugly exit from Houston in 2020 was mired in exactly the sort of problem the Jaguars will be looking to avoid. One of the bigger names amongst potential hires, Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, would likely have little interest in the job with Baalke in place, according to ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Ultimately, La Canfora writes that pushback from coaching interviewees and fans alike could force Khan to reconsider and fire Baalke. It is a situation worth watching as the regular season winds down and the offseason coach and executive landscape begins to take shape.

Jaguars GM Trent Baalke To Keep Job

December 27th, 2021 at 7:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite a messy season in Jacksonville, it sounds like Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke will keep his job. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), Baalke will be retained and will assist owner Shad Khan in the search for a new coach.

Baalke will continue to report to Khan, and he’s expected to “work in sync” with whoever is hired to be the new Jaguars HC. The head coach will also report directly to Khan, Rapoport added in a follow-up tweet.

During Baalke’s first full offseason at the helm, the organization managed to add a potential franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence with the first-overall pick, and they managed to hire away Urban Meyer from the NCAA to be the new head coach. Fast forward to now, and the team is 2-13, they’ve fired Meyer, and Lawrence has completed only 58.7-percent of his passes while tossing a league-leading 14 interceptions. Of course, Baalke’s plan was never expected to come to fruition during the 2021 campaign, and while things have been tumultuous (to say the least) in Jacksonville this season, it makes a bit of sense that he’d keep his job.

Baalke sort of fell into the role when he was promoted to GM in January. He was originally hired as director of player personnel under David Caldwell, but after the former GM was fired, Baalke was promoted to take his spot. Meyer was still calling the shots from a team-building perspective, and Khan also plays a major role in personnel moves. Baalke and Meyer reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye during their stint together, and now Baalke will have an opportunity to build a team his way heading into the 2022 season.

Previously, the executive rose through the 49ers organization and eventually became San Francisco’s GM in 2011. Between the 2011 and 2013 seasons, the 49ers won 36 games, lost a Super Bowl, and appeared in a pair of conference championship games. However, following a 2016 season that saw the 49ers win only two games, Baalke was relieved of his duties.

Meanwhile, while we previously heard that Doug Pederson and Jim Caldwell were among the names that Jacksonville was eyeing as their next HC, Rapoport has added another name to the list. Current Buccaneers offensive coordinator (and, of course, former Jaguars starting QB) Byron Leftwich would “fit on the list” of potential head coaching candidates.

AFC Rumors: Jags, Judon, Raiders, Browns

December 10th, 2021 at 6:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Less than a year into the Jaguars‘ Urban Meyer–Trent Baalke partnership, the two power brokers may not be seeing eye to eye. Some tension has surfaced between the new coworkers, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes. This is certainly not the first sign of trouble for the Meyer regime in Jacksonville. A host of controversies and/or scrutinized decisions have emerged this year, peaking with the first-year NFL HC’s decision not to fly back to Jacksonville with the team earlier this season, and the Jags are now 2-10. They have seen their offense, led by prized QB prospect Trevor Lawrence, struggle for most of the season. The Jaguars are averaging just 10.6 points per game over their six contests since their bye week, inviting speculation about assistants’ job security. Baalke, the ex-49ers GM whom the Jags named to the same position shortly after tabbing Meyer to lead their latest rebuild, might not be on solid ground either. While Meyer being a one-and-done is far from certain, the former national championship-winning coach’s first season has gone about as badly as possible.

Here is the latest from around the AFC:

The Patriots’ Matt Judon deal has become one of the best from this past free agency period, with the ex-Ravens edge rusher having amassed a career-high 12.5 sacks. Deviating from its usual lower-key free agency strategy, New England moved quickly to land Judon on a four-year, $54.5MM accord. Prior to this agreement, Judon gave the Ravens a chance to match it, La Canfora writes. Judon had told teammates he did not want to leave Baltimore, JLC adds, though he had said in February everything would have to line up for him to stay. The Ravens, who have let several edge rushers walk to recoup compensatory picks, opted to retool at the position again. After letting let both Judon and Yannick Ngakoue leave, the Ravens drafted Odafe Oweh in Round 1 and signed Justin Houston on a low-cost deal.
Jaguars tight ends coach Tyler Bowen is set to become Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator, Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com reports. Bowen, 32, is in his first season with the Jags. He had previously worked with new Hokies HC Brent Pry at Penn State, being a Nittany Lions assistant from 2018-20.
The Raiders figure to have several new staffers next year, with GM Mike Mayock and interim HC Rich Bisaccia far from assured they will be back. But the team will not be parting with Marcel Reece. The former Oakland fullback will be staying on as a senior adviser to Mark Davis, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Reece, who played for the Raiders for nine seasons (2008-16), has been in his current role since 2020. He figures to play a role in the franchise’s coaching search as well.
A.J. Cole joined Daniel Carlson in signing extensions to keep the Raiders’ current kicking corps intact long-term. The young punter signed a four-year deal worth $12.4MM, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Cole, who will receive $5.9MM guaranteed, is now one of the NFL’s five highest-paid punters.
Greg Newsome suffered a concussion on the final play of Browns practice Friday, Jeff Schudel of the Lorain Morning Journal tweets. Cleveland’s first-round pick is out for Sunday’s game against the Ravens. The Browns do have an experienced option to elevate into their starting lineup, with Greedy Williams having been a regular starter as a rookie in 2019. Pro Football Focus grades Williams, who has played 45% of Cleveland’s defensive snaps, as a top-20 corner this season.

Jaguars Hire Trent Baalke As GM

January 21st, 2021 at 8:34am CST by Zachary Links

Now, it’s official. On Thursday, the Jaguars formally hired Trent Baalke as their new general manager.

“Trent Baalke has had success at virtually every level of football, notably so as a GM who shrewdly and quickly built an NFL conference championship organization and team,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement. “Trent thoroughly knows the NFL and the dynamics of today’s game, has an exceptional eye for talent, and I know will have excellent chemistry with head coach Urban Meyer as they begin their mission to bring a consistent winner to our fans in Jacksonville.”

Baalke, 56, served as the Niners’ GM from 2011-2016. Roughly one year ago today, the Jaguars brought him in as their director of player personnel. Nine months later, he was bumped up to the interim GM role when David Caldwell was fired. Now, he has the full-time position where he’ll lead the Jaguars’ latest reboot alongside Meyer.

The Niners secured 35 Pro Bowl selections and made a Super Bowl appearance during Baalke’s six-year run with the team. Things cooled off near the end, however, following Jim Harbaugh‘s departure. The 49ers missed the playoffs in Harbaugh’s last season, and Baalke’s replacement hires — Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly — were one-and-dones.

Before hiring Baalke, the Jaguars also considered the likes of Jerry Reese, Rick Smith, Louis Riddick, Terry Fontenot, and Ray Farmer.