The Jacksonville Jaguars made the off-season noise after announcing that former Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer would become the sixth coach in the franchise’s history.
The news came just weeks after the team left fourth year coach Doug Marrone.
Although the team held the position of chief coach, the role of general manager was not yet consolidated. Upon dismissing Dave Caldwell in late November last year, the Jaguars appointed the Player’s Personnel Director, Trent Baalke, the team’s interim general manager. Today, they will make that change permanent, making Baalke the team’s new GM to accompany Meyer, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
O #Jaguars should hire Trent Baalke as their GM, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. The main internal candidate, he stays to work with the new technician Urban Meyer. The deal has not yet been made and official, but is expected to be soon.
– Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 20, 2021
Baalke, 56, last held the title of general manager with the 2011-16 San Francisco 49ers. Prior to assuming the role of GM, Baalke was a personnel director for players and a team scout for several years since 1998, beginning his career at the New York Jets in 1998.
The connection between Baalke and Meyer goes back to Meyer’s time in Utah, when he trained ex-49ers quarterback Alex Smith. At the time of Smith’s selection, Baalke was the team’s western regional scout. The relationship between Meyer and Baalke will be important in the future.
It has long been thought that Meyer would assume more responsibility than a typical NFL chief coach, making personal decisions and choosing his own GM to help guide him in his first year at the professional level.
According to the CBS Sports reporter, Jonathan Jones Meyer did not want to “bite off more than he can chew” during the first year, allowing Baalke to introduce him to the NFL before making a final decision after the first year.
“As of now, the expectation is that Trent Baalke, who has been the interim GM since Dave Caldwell was fired and who has been coming to work every day since Doug Marrone was fired, remains as the GM,” writes Jones.
“Baalke has more than 20 years of experience in the NFL as a scout and chief of staff. He ran the 2011-2016 49ers, where he and Jim Harbaugh took San Francisco to three consecutive NFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance. “