REPORT: The Jaguars Had Plenty of Reasons to Fire Baalke

The Jacksonville Jaguars appear to have botched their offseason search for their next head coach. After firing former head coach Doug Pederson but refusing to also move on from general manager Trent Baalke, the Jaguars missed out on a few of their top coaching options.

FOX Sports believes the presence of Baalke cost the Jaguars dearly.

"It had become clear that Baalke was impeding Jacksonville's coaching search, with Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn taking other jobs without a sit-down interview with the Jaguars," FOX Sports said. "And [Liam] Coen's call may have forced [Jaguars owner Shad] Khan's hand when the OC canceled a visit to Jacksonville and chose to keep his current job in Tampa Bay.

FOX Sports noted the fact that the Jaguars had multiple interviews set up with coaches other than Coen but many around the league believe Coen was the Jaguars' top choice. However, Coen decided to stay put in his current position in Tampa Bay.

"Jacksonville had narrowed its search to Coen, Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh," FOX Sports said. "Graham and Saleh are scheduled for in-person interviews on Thursday and Friday."

"Khan insisted after firing Doug Pederson earlier this month that Baalke's retention as GM would not affect the coaching search. He was wrong. The 60-year-old Baalke developed a less-than-spotless reputation around the league, and three of the five coaches he hired in San Francisco and Jacksonville — Jim Tomsula, Chip Kelly and Urban Meyer — had one-and-done tenures.

The fact of the matter is, Baalke likely should have been fired sooner after putting together multiple subpar rosters. Baalke had his successes in the draft but had many more failures, setting the Jaguars back.

"Baalke's drafts were mixed," FOX Sports said. "He hit on Trevor Lawrence, right tackle Anton Harrison and Brian Thomas Jr. in the first round. But he chose defensive end Travon Walker over Aidan Hutchinson and whiffed on first-rounder Devin Lloyd as well as several second-day picks: offensive tackle Walker Little, safety Andre Cisco, center Luke Fortner and linebacker Chad Muma.

"His free-agent classes were equally spotty, with the latest one being among the least productive in team history. The Jaguars committed more than $150 million, including roughly $90 million guaranteed, to sign seven free agents. The group included receiver Gabe Davis, journeyman cornerback Ronald Darby and oft-injured defensive lineman Arik Armstead. None of them made the Jags better."

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