Does It Make Sense For The Jaguars To Retain Trent Baalke After 2022?

Like Him Or Not, Trent Baalke Has Had His Highs And Lows In Jacksonville

If you're a fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars, you likely either find yourself fond or despising of Trent Baalke. Regardless of the successes and failures that have come in his two-year tenure as general manger, Baalke has been the picture that's defined one of the biggest problems in Jacksonville under Shad Khan, complacency. Before Trent Baalke earned his position on the team, Dave Caldwell was the man in charge with Baalke working as his assistant. When the old guard was fully removed, fans expected the Jaguars to bring in both a head coach and general manger from outside of the organization, but Shad Khan surprised everyone by choosing Baalke.

Trent Baalke was ultimately second to 'The One Who Shall Not Be Named,' and chosen to assist with the management of the team and helping him adjust to the NFL. After a few incidents that shall also not be named, Trent Baalke was the only one of them left in Jacksonville. Purely out of frustration and anger, Jaguars fans were calling for Trent Baalke to be removed and even heckled him while he was showing up to work throughout the week.

Following an improbable but precedented victory over the Colts, the Jaguars began conducting interviews for head coach, surprisingly including Baalke in these. Reports even came out that Byron Leftwich declined an offer from the Jaguars because he couldn't bring in Adrian Wilson as a general manger since Trent Baalke was being retained. Negotiations quickly broke down, and the Jaguars contacted Doug Pederson after having no contact for nearly a month to conduct a second interview and offer the job. Even with how well Trent Baalke has conducted himself as a person in public, the rumors and the stories from his history in the NFL are surely an issue.

Trent Baalke Has Excelled In The Draft But Flunked In Free Agency

The Jaguars have been a mixed bag of results the last few years with offseason acquisitions, and much of the disparity has been between free agency and the draft. In 2021, Trent Baalke didn't target any high-profile free agents and overpaid multiple average players. Roy Robertson-Harris has been one of the highest cap hits while having little no impact on the field, Marvin Jones has played a very limited role on the offense outside of possession catches, and Shaquill Griffin has been a disaster of an addition outside of his leadership in the locker room. If you re-evaluate his first free-agency class, arguably the only addition that has been a hit was Jamal Agnew, but it can be argued he isn't worth his salary.

After a disappointing free agency, Trent Baalke responded the following year by setting an NFL record for the most free agency spending in an offseason. This would seemingly have to include several superstar prospects, but the biggest names added were Christian Kirk and Brandon Scherff. While most of the players have been solid additions and some have even excelled beyond expectations, it still can't justify the cap hits involved. Christian Kirk is arguably the only player who has been worth his contract, but he could've been obtained for much less than was offered to him. I believe that Darious Williams can also be worth his contract, but the Jaguars refuse to move him to his natural position on the defense. Simply put, the results have just not been good enough for the money dished out.

Now we move to the bright side of Trent Baalke's tenure, the draft classes. Trevor Lawrence can be discounted since every person with a functioning brain would've chose him first overall, but the other draft picks were great hits. Travis Etienne, although you can argue he shouldn't have been drafted in the first round, has been an explosive running back for Jacksonville. Immediately after, Baalke selected Tyson Campbell who has quickly developed into one of the best lockdown cornerbacks across the entire league. Walker Little may have been a miss, but the verdict is still very much out on him. Finally, Andre Cisco was another hit as he's brought a much needed ball hawk to a defense that needed to create more turnovers.

I don't believe it's fair to deliver a verdict on the 2022 draft class with how early it is. Travon Walker and Devin Lloyd haven't received enough help from the coaching staff and it's caused them to struggle. Walker hasn't been used a chess piece which was one of his biggest strengths at Georgia and Devin Lloyd has turned into a rotational player. The game needs to slow down for Lloyd, but the defensive staff has done nothing to simplify it for him. In regards to Luke Fortner and Chad Muma, both players have looked like they'll be good pieces on a young roster. I do genuinely believe that with some time, the last two draft classes are going to go down as some of the better drafts in franchise history.

Jaguars Must Balance Continuity And Striving To Improve

While the Jaguars haven't fully cleaned house under Shad Khan, they haven't kept their staff together for over a year since the end of Sacksonville. Constant firings and changes will only cause players and remaining staff to lose confidence, but sometimes it's necessary for a better future. This franchise needs to build for the long haul because there's still time before this team is ready to bring home a Super Bowl. The Jaguars need to make sure they have the right leaders in their organization, and even if it causes a setback they should make changes.

I do believe the Jaguars can find some success with Baalke, but there is no doubt that they can do better. Doug Pederson was a hit at the head coach position, and now Shad Khan needs to work with him to improve at general manager. A potential move needs to wait until the offseason in contrast to our division leader, but I think they're a great example of what striving for success looks like.

The Tennessee Titans know that they have struggled at talent acquisition and made poor decisions. The AJ Brown trade has left the wide receiver room devoid of talent and the Titans have consistently missed on their highest draft selections. Although they are succeeding with Mike Vrabel, their ceiling is so much higher with a competent general manager. The Jaguars need to follow their lead and find someone who will be creative, make sound financial decisions, and can properly scout talent that will fit into the game plan. I don't believe that Trent Baalke is the villain that many fans have viewed him as. I even think that we'll enjoy some of the good decisions he's made for years to come whether he's here or not. However, the bottom line is that the Jaguars can do better, and in a league where there's thirty one losers and one winner, better is a necessity.

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