Why did the Jaguars fire Trent Baalke? Former GM let go amid coaching search after failed Liam Cohen pursuit

The Jaguars announced on Wednesday that they are parting ways with general manager Trent Baalke after four years on the job and five seasons with the team.

"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," owner Shad Khan said in a statement. "Trent leaves us with my deepest appreciation for his efforts over the past five seasons."

Khan added that assistant general manager Ethan Waugh will now serve as the interim general manager until a new hire is made. The decision to let Baalke go means that Jacksonville is now looking for a head coach and a general manager this offseason.

Why did Jacksonville make this move? Here's the latest.

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Why did the Jaguars fire Trent Baalke?

Baalke's initially survived the season despite the Jaguars firing coach Doug Pederson, but the general manager's presence was apparently making it tough to hire a new head coach. Former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen were top targets, but Johnson chose the Bears while Coen opted to stay in Tampa Bay after reports surfaced that Jacksonville had narrowed in on him as their top choice.

Therefore, Khan decided to move on from Baalke presumably to get a better head coaching candidate. While Baalke remained with the team after the season ended, Khan did admit he would be open to moving on from Baalke depending on how the coaching search went.

Baalke first joined the Jaguars in 2020 but was named general manager in 2021 when the team hired Urban Meyer as head coach. While Meyer was fired midseason, Baalke stayed on to help hire Pederson in the offseason.

Baalke's time in Jacksonville ends with the Jaguars going 25-43 in four years with one playoff appearance. This was his second stint as an NFL general manager, as he previously went 57-54-1 over seven years with the 49ers.

This article will be update as more information becomes available