After all, Trent Baalke won’t lead the Jacksonville Jaguars into the team’s next era.
The team announced Wednesday that it is parting ways with its general manager. That came a little more than two weeks after the organization first announced it would keep Baalke but fire coach Doug Pederson.
“After several discussions this week with Trent Baalke, we both agree that it is in our mutual best interest to respectfully separate, effective immediately,” owner Shad Khan said in a statement. We have reached this conclusion. We deeply appreciate Mr. Trent’s significant contribution.” It’s the result of hard work over the past five seasons. ”
Kahn said Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager.
The news comes on the same day that Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Cohen withdrew from consideration for the Jaguars’ coaching vacancy, according to multiple reports. Cohen was scheduled to have a second interview with the Jaguars this week, along with former New York Jets manager Robert Saleh and Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, according to multiple reports.
All about the Jaguars: The latest Jacksonville Jaguars news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
The Jaguars also missed out on former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson interviewed with Jacksonville on January 11, but chose to take the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears.
In explaining his initial decision to keep Baalke, Khan balked at the idea that the franchise was at a point where it was time for major changes.
“What is a complete overhaul of the franchise?” Khan asked on a Zoom call with reporters. “Player health, medical statistics, analytics, scouting, contract management plus a lot of other factors, all of those areas we’ve really changed over the last four or five years (and) definitely improved. It was all almost suicidal.”
Baalke was hired by the Jaguars in 2020 as director of player personnel. He was promoted to interim general manager following the firing of David Caldwell in November 2020, and was later promoted to the full-time role.
The Jaguars finished 4-13 in 2024 after Coach Kern made it clear before this season that he had high expectations, saying, “This is the best team the Jacksonville Jaguars have assembled.”
After Pederson’s firing, Kahn took issue with his previous tactical approach, saying, “We’re the most predictable team on both sides of the ball.”
This story has been updated with new information.