Jaguars cost themselves ideal Doug Pederson replacements by firing the wrong guy

The Jacksonville Jaguars fired Doug Pederson on Monday morning – known as Black Monday around the NFL – as is customary for teams that fail to live up to expectations. Don't get me wrong, Pederson deserved his pink slip, just as Urban Meyer did a few years back. Unfortunately for th Jaguars, the person who's really in charge remains at his post.

Pederson failed to further develop Trevor Lawrence this season and even put him in harm's way towards the end of the campaign, when Lawrence played through a shoulder injury and was knocked out by Texans defender Azeez Al-Shaair. Pederson caught plenty of flack for that choice, and it was a surprise he wasn't fired on the spot. Evidently Jacksonville was merely waiting for the dust to clear.

Starting over is never easy, especially in the modern NFL. Finding a new head coach is tough enough and doing so without a front office with a sense of direction makes such a task nearly impossible to succeed at. However, what the Jaguars are doing is far worse.

Jacksonville Jaguars keep Trent Baalke despite his constant failures

While Pederson has been fired, Jags owner Shad Khan has, for some reason, opted to retain general manager Trent Baalke, refuting advice from across the industry.

"I strongly believe it is possible next season to restore the winning environment we had here not long ago. I will collaborate with General Manager Trent Baalke and others, within and close to our organization, to hire a leader who shares my ambition and is ready to seize the extraordinary opportunity we will offer in Jacksonville," Khan said in a statement.

The Jaguars coaching job is a great opportunity for the right coaching candidate. They already have a quarterback in place in Lawrence – one with real talent, mind you, that could just use a few tweaks – and their market size offers little-to-no immediate pressure to succeed. Jacksonville is a few smart draft picks and free-agent additions away from competing in one of the worst divisions in football, the AFC South.

The problem, of course, is Baalke. Why would any head coach want to work under the man who hired Meyer and Pederson, and is wasting Lawrence's talent by the season? Baalke is also the same man who chose to select Travon Walker over Aidan Hutchinson with the No. 1 overall pick in 2022. Only nine of Baalke's 38 draft picks from 2021-24 have become full-time starters in Jacksonville, per ESPN.

Khan doesn't see it, and is willing to hand over the keys one more time.