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The Jacksonville Jaguars made the stunning decision to part ways with general manager Trent Baalke in the middle of their head-coaching search.
Cameron Wolfe @CameronWolfe
Big move out of Jacksonville.
There’s been plenty talk around the NFL on impact of Trent Baalke’s presence for head coach candidates in Jags ongoing search. Now, Jags start anew at HC and GM. https://t.co/cbppL5d2fy
“Following several discussions with Trent Baalke this week, we both arrived at the conclusion that it is in our mutual best interests to respectfully separate, effective immediately. Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons. Ethan Waugh will serve as interim general manager and play an important role, with others, as we continue the process of interviewing candidates to serve as our new head coach. I am deeply committed to building a winner here in Jacksonville and look forward to introducing a new head coach who will make that happen for our players and fans alike.”
The move comes as one coaching candidate, Ben Johnson, chose to take the Chicago Bears’ vacancy instead, while another, Liam Coen, decided to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and remain the team’s offensive coordinator.
Jordan Schultz @Schultz_Report
Around the NFL, executives were stunned when Trent Baalke was retained after the season. Many called it malpractice and some laughed at the decision. It’s fair to wonder where the #Jaguars would be if they had fired him two weeks ago. What was once an attractive HC job became… https://t.co/sRQrhopYrP pic.twitter.com/0Wc4BzGy8P
Albert Breer @AlbertBreer
Better late than never, but the reality is that this was mishandled from the start. My belief is Jaguars owner Shad Khan needed the help from Baalke on the coaching search. And through the process, I know he’d shown flexibility to move on from Baalke to land the right coach. https://t.co/TdudprkkfB
JosinaAnderson @JosinaAnderson
#Jags fans should not be surprised owner Shad Khan is parting ways with GM Trent Baalke..
Khan had remained open to someone else coming in and reporting direct to him upon the hiring of a new coach.
The NFL GM vacancy landscape has been changing, and is rapidly evolving……
This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis.
