Jaguars promote Trent Baalke to be their next general manager

The Jacksonville Jaguars promoted Trent Baalke from within to be their next general manager.

After hiring former Ohio State Buckeyes head coach and FOX College Football analyst Urban Meyer to be their next head coach, the Jacksonville Jaguars have paired him with their top internal candidate Trent Baalke to be their next general manager.

The former general manager of the San Francisco 49ers spent 2017-19 out of football after being fired. He joined on with the Jaguars as their director of player personnel on a team that won its first game of the season before coming up short in its last 15. Together, Baalke, Meyer and owner Shahid Khan must arrive at the same conclusion to select Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall.

Is pairing Trent Baalke with Urban Meyer going to work in Duval?

Baalke spent six years as the 49ers general manager (2011-16), helping San Francisco reach the Super Bowl in 2012. He was there throughout the Jim Harbaugh era, the Jim Tomsula era and the Chip Kelly era before it hit the fan. Now blessed with a first-time NFL head coach and the No. 1 overall pick, all the pressure is on Baalke to have the best NFL Draft of his life. Can he do it?

As long as the Jaguars get the quarterback right, they should be in good shape to compete in the AFC South for years. They have a committed owner and a ton of cap space to work with. Lawrence is arguably the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning. While it should be obvious to take him No. 1, there were people back in 1998 who wanted to take Ryan Leaf over Manning.

It will be up to Baalke and Meyer to make the toothless Jaguars relevant again in the 2020s.