Dave Caldwell, general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars fire department

The Jacksonville Jaguars have fired longtime general manager Dave Caldwell.

Shad Khan released a statement shortly after today’s loss to the Cleveland Browns:

I met Dave Caldwell to express my gratitude for his service to the Jacksonville Jaguars as General Manager. Dave was exceptionally committed and determined to bring a winner to Jacksonville, but sadly his efforts were not rewarded with the results our fans deserve and our organization expects. Our football operation needs new leadership, and we will have it with a new CEO in 2021

It was Caldwell’s eighth season in Jacksonville. He initially joined the Jaguars in 2013, after spending five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons as director of college scouting (2008-2011) and then director of player personnel (2012). Prior to that, he spent several seasons with the Indianapolis Colts as a regional scout and first entered the league as an assistant scout with the Carolina Panthers in 1996-97.

The Jaguars really struggled during Caldwell’s tenure. In the regular season, the team won just 37 games, while losing 86 games. Of course, however, Caldwell was not solely responsible for all personnel decisions throughout his time in Jacksonville. Tom Coughlin had the final say on football decisions during his tenure as executive vice president of football operations from 2017 to 2019.

In 2017, with Coughlin and Caldwell at the front office, Jacksonville had its most successful season during the Caldwell era. The Jaguars won two playoff games and made it to the AFC Championship game, just minutes from the franchise’s very first Super Bowl appearance. After that year, however, the Jaguars fell short and didn’t win more than six games in a season.

Of the nine first-round draft picks Caldwell made (or helped make) as general manager of the Jaguars, only four of those players are still with the franchise – including 2020 rookies CJ Henderson and K’Lavon Chaisson. . The other two are Josh Allen (2019) and Taven Bryan (2018).

Jacksonville will start looking early for a replacement GM option to try to overthrow this dormant franchise. With an abundance of picks in the 2021 NFL Draft – including two first-round picks and two second-round picks – and the biggest ceiling space in the entire NFL, it could actually be an attractive job.

Trent Baalke will serve as interim general manager for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Khan has informed head coach Doug Marrone that he and his staff will remain with the squad until the end of the 2020 season (at least).