LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: #88 Allen Hurns of Jacksonville Jaguars waits to go onto the pitch during the NFL game between Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills at Wembley Stadium on October 25, 2015 in London, England. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images)After the blockbuster hiring of Urban Meyer earlier this week, the Jacksonville Jaguars are reportedly going with a more conservative approach for their general manager hire.
On Tuesday night, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported the franchise is expected to hire its top internal candidate, Trent Baalke, as full-time GM.
“The #Jaguars are expected to hire Trent Baalke as their GM, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo,” Rapoport wrote. “The top internal candidate, he stays to work with new coach Urban Meyer. The deal isn’t done and official, but it is slated to be soon.”
The #Jaguars are expected to hire Trent Baalke as their GM, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. The top internal candidate, he stays to work with new coach Urban Meyer. The deal isn’t done and official, but it is slated to be soon.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2021
After a miserable 1-10 start to the season, the Jaguars fired general manager David Caldwell. Baalke took over as the interim GM for the remainder of the season, finishing the year with an 0-5 record.
Starting as a Western region scout for the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, Baalke worked his way up to the general manager position where he remained for five seasons (2011-16). After his debut season as GM, Baalke was name Executive of the Year for transforming a 6-10 team to a 13-3 team in just one year.
Although this is true, it’s well documented that Baalke had a tough time finding talent in the draft during his time in San Francisco. According to data collected by 49ers SB Nation, 35 of Baalke’s total 61 draft picks had been released by the team as of August, 2018.
After his firing from San Francisco in 2017, the former GM began working as a football operations consultant for the NFL.
Baalke finally made his return to an NFL franchise when he was hired by the Jaguars as director of player personnel in 2020. Now, he gets a shot at redemption at the GM position.
Hopefully with the help of an experienced eye for talent like Urban Meyer, Baalke can develop the struggling Jaguars roster.
