Jaguars to appoint Trent Baalke as permanent general manager, report says

The Jacksonville Jaguars created a sensation this offseason after announcing that former Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer will become the 6th head coach in franchise history.

The news came just weeks after the team left fourth-year head coach Doug Marrone.

While the team held their position as head coach, the role of general manager had yet to be solidified. After sacking Dave Caldwell in late November last year, the Jaguars appointed director of player personnel, Trent Baalke, as the team’s interim general manager. Today, they would have made that decision permanent, making Baalke the new general manager of the team to accompany Meyer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Baalke, 56, last held the general manager title for the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2016. Prior to getting a general manager role, Baalke served as director of player personnel and team scout for several years since 1998, starting his career with the New York Jets in 1998.

Baalke’s connection to Meyer dates back to Meyer’s days in Utah when he coached former 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 moving forward.

It was long thought that Meyer would take on more responsibility than that of a typical NFL head coach, making personnel decisions and selecting his own GM to help him through his first year at the pro level.

According to the CBS Sports reporter, Jonathan Jones Meyer did not want to “bite more than he can chew” in the first year, allowing Baalke to introduce him to the NFL before making a final decision after the first year.

“From now on, it is expected that Trent Baalke, who has been the interim general manager since Dave Caldwell was fired and who has been entering work every day since Doug Marrone s fired, will remain the general manager,” Jones writes.

“Baalke has over 20 years of NFL experience as a Boy Scout and Chief of Staff. He ran for the 49ers from 2011 to 2016, where he and Jim Harbaugh took San Francisco to three straight NFC title games and a Super Bowl appearance.