Related Post
The Jacksonville Jaguars are still on the look out for a new head coach after Ben Johnson picked the Chicago Bears on Monday. The question now is where the Jaguars go next.
While a swirl of names have picked up momentum as candidates to replace Doug Pederson in Jacksonville, the presensce of general manager Trent Baalke is not one that can be ignored. It sure seems like Baalke remaining in the general manager role has had an impact on the search so far, and one insider weighed in on the state of the search and Baalke’s role this week.
“This hire is all about Lawrence, which is why I could see Coen of Tampa Bay settling in as a strong No. 2 candidate,” Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr wrote.
“Of course, we need to remember that Jacksonville is—for now—intent on keeping Trent Baalke as GM. Through the interview process, I’ve heard confirmation that Khan has a lot of trust in Baalke.”
Jaguars owner Shad Khan has been supportive of Baalke for the last several years, and it is clear he has a high level of trust in his top football employee after keeping him in the role following two head coach firings in four years.
Khan was directly asked after firing Pederson if he would consider moving Baalke out of his role and reshaping the front office if a candidate asked him to.
“My response would be how would you improve it and then if it is credible, you want to do it. How does the structure work?” Khan said.
“I want to make sure that this isn’t about ego or power or something more sinister quite frankly. There have been some of those elements that I have found in my experience in the NFL. If it’s a legit effort to get better, then everything should be on the table.”
Simply put, Khan is a big fan of Baalke and it does not look like the long-time general manager is going anywhere soon. Baalke is the Jaguars’ top football employee until they hire a new coach, and his relationship with Khan and the trust Khan has in him and his abilities suggest that may not even change after a hire is made.
Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.
Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.
