There’s good reason Ben Johnson may prefer the Jaguars over the Bears. A talented, young roster with an established quarterback and an AFC South schedule looks much more attractive compared to six annual games against Dan Campbell, Kevin O’Connell and Matt LaFleur – who combined to go 40-11 this season. But Jacksonville made one unexpected move on Monday morning.
While the Jaguars fired Doug Pederson after three seasons, they also shocked most observers by retaining general manager Trent Baalke. And while owner Shad Khan reportedly will change the organizational flowchart, the situation also isn’t the proverbial clean slate, which would’ve been much more attractive to head-coach candidates. CBS insider Jonathan Jones explained that Baalke is viewed internally much differently than externally.
“And I believe,” Jones said Monday, “and sources tell me, that it is very likely due to the fact that Baalke’s reputation around the league is not the same as it is within that building, where a lot of people very much like Baalke. And so, in order to attract some of the top candidates to this job in the AFC South, there’s this new sort of structure that will be taking place with the Jaguars.”
That structure with Baalke retaining his role may still dissuade top candidates, but the Jaguars are also one of 32 jobs in the world.
“Trent is now about to be part of his third head-coach hiring process in five years,” said NFL Network insider Steve Wyche. “Remember, he was the GM when they hired Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson. Very few general managers get this opportunity. And some people I spoke to said, ‘Hey, maybe this is not an issue for the incoming head coach because he gets to report to Shad Khan.’
“But this could be an issue because the head coach coming under the end of that dynamic, a lot of times when the head coach has more power than the GM, somebody feels slighted, it could be odd. Those things can be worked out during negotiations. But that is the interesting dynamic of Trent Baalke being retained as general manager. Because some new head coaches want to come in with people they are familiar with.”
Florida does not have state income tax, a popular draw for coaches and free agents. The Jaguars also have brand-new facilities and are preparing to break ground on their stadium of the future. The team also has fired six head coaches since 2011.
For more information on the Jaguars and the NFL hiring cycle, visit the Jacksonville team page and Coach/GM Carousel page at ProFootballPost.com.
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