Report: Jags expected to name Trent Baalke their GM

James Johnson
·2 min read
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Last week, Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan told the media that a decision at general manager was coming, and it appears they have made up their minds. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Trent Baalke will be removing the “interim” label from his job title and will now be replacing Dave Caldwell.

Baalke, 56, joined the Jags in February of last year as their director of player personnel under Caldwell. However, when Caldwell was fired in November, Baalke was named the interim general manager in his place.

Before he arrived in Jacksonville, Baalke was the San Francisco 49ers’ general manager from 2011 through the 2016 season. After his firing, he worked as a football operations consultant for the NFL where he worked on a wide range of things from game-related matters, to evaluations and player development, as well as officiating video reviews.

Before becoming the 49ers general manager, Baalke was a director of player personnel with the 49ers and a scout. He also was a scout for the Washington Football Team and New York Jets.

While Baalke was the general manager for San Francisco, they were able to go to three consecutive NFC titles from 2011-13. Some of his notable draft selections include quarterback Colin Kaepernick, pass-rusher Aldon Smith, safety Eric Reid, and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner.

Baalke will now work alongside new Jags coach Urban Meyer, who he got to know during his time as a scout with the 49ers. Baalke did evaluations on quarterback Alex Smith when he was at Utah under Meyer, who aided Smith to become the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 NFL Draft. Khan told the media that Meyer and the general manager would report to him, but the team would ultimately reflect Meyer’s vision, which likely means Meyer is the front office leader.