NFL Rumors: Belichick Unlikely to Pair with Jags GM Baalke If Doug Pederson Fired

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVNovember 18, 2024

Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

On Sunday night, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that “there was a belief in some circles” that general manager Trent Baalke could “survive into next year as part of a package deal” with Bill Belichick, presuming that Doug Pederson is fired amid the team’s 2-9 start.

ProFootballTalk @ProFootballTalkWhat’s next in Jacksonville, after falling to 2-9 and suffering the worst loss in franchise history? pic.twitter.com/OmC87oxMWj

Multiple reports have since suggested that such a pairing is unlikely, however.

Dianna Russini @DMRussiniAs we wait to find out what the Jaguars do next, keep in mind Bill Belichick wants to be a head coach again and the Jaguars should be viewed as a potential destination.
I’m told it’s highly unlikely that a partnership with GM Trent Baalke would take place, per sources.

Albert Breer of SI.com wrote that he believes Belichick “will listen” if offered the Jaguars’ coaching job, “given his relationship with Shad Khan’s son, Tony, as long as he can set it up the way he wants.”

He added: “I think the Jags legitimately have a solid job to sell here. But that’s only so if they reset in the front office, the same way they will on the coaching staff.”

Belichick had personnel control in New England and was essentially the de facto general manager along with being the head coach. Baalke, meanwhile, has a history of clashing with his head coaches, as Breer noted, including Pederson and John Harbaugh when the two were paired in San Francisco.

That does not sound like the recipe for a successful collaboration.

Pete Prisco @PriscoCBSThe smartest thing Trevor Lawrence can do is shut it down and wait for Ben Johnson. The offense and staff has impacted that kid in a big way. Shut it down.

Pete Prisco @PriscoCBSOf course if Trent Baalke is the GM, Johnson will want no part of that job. Who will?

The Jags do have some players worth building around, making them an appealing potential option if the organization does a full reset of the front office and coaching staff. Trevor Lawrence hasn’t lived up to the hype that made him the top overall pick, but he’s proven he can lead a team to the postseason in the past.

Josh Hines-Allen is a difference-maker off the edge. Rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and second-year running back Tank Bigsby have shown flashes.

But the team needs more talent around them. The Jaguars haven’t found enough building blocks through the draft or spent their money wisely enough in free agency. The Jaguars should be better than their 2-9 record, but how much better?

It feels as though Baalke has built the bones of a mediocre football team, at best. If Jacksonville is going to turn this ship around, it might be time for a full reset.