There are different directions we can go, and I'll probably change my mind several times, but below is my plan as of today:

Hire Ben Johnson as the head coach.

Retain Kirk and Engram.  My general philosophy is that if you aren't in salary cap trouble, you should keep your quality players.

Cut Darby, Reynolds, Duvernay and Fortner.  This adds another $10.8 million to our existing $36 million under the salary cap.

Trade Savage for absolutely anything.  I would cut him, but there's $6.25 million in guaranteed salary.  Let his new team pay it.  

For free agency, my general approach is to fill as many of our desperate needs as possible which then allows us to go BAP in the draft.  Scherff and Cisco are not under contract and I'm also getting rid of Savage because he sucks so bad.  As such, we need two safeties and a right guard in free agency.  These are non-premium positions, so they aren't as hard to get as some positions.  I'd also try to sign center Drew Dalman.  He's a decent center and excellent in run blocking.  I think we have good running backs, but our interior offensive line creates no holes for them.  They are running into brick walls.    

In the draft, I take Will Johnson at #5 overall.  After that, we can largely go BAP.  I would want an edge somewhere on Day 2.  If it doesn't make sense in the second round, we also have two third round picks.  We can also trade up or down somewhere if that's what it takes.  Wide receiver would also be one of my preferred positions on Day 2 assuming the value is there.

The bottom line for our offense is that we would upgrade center and right guard which will make a huge difference in our running game which will also take a lot of the pressure off our passing game.  I'm also hoping for better health and better coaching to improve the offense in 2025.  For defense, we would have rebuilt our secondary which was atrocious.  We would (hopefully) have added a shutdown corner plus two upgraded safeties.  We would also add a young edge to give us depth and rotate with Walker and JHA.  Our defensive interior would also be improved with Armstead moving back to the middle and hopefully Maason Smith continuing to develop in 2025.  Of course, better defensive coaching would also be a big plus.  I'm hopeful that this plan would change many of those 10 games that we lost by a single score in 2024 into wins in 2025.

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Trent Baalke 2025 Offseason Tasks

Assist Khan in selecting a new head coach. Assist the new head coach. Do whatever the new head coach wants to do.

Period.

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Trent Baalke 2025 Offseason Tasks

Assist Khan in selecting a new head coach.  Assist the new head coach.  Do whatever the new head coach wants to do. 

Period.

I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

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Trent Baalke 2025 Offseason Tasks

Assist Khan in selecting a new head coach.  Assist the new head coach.  Do whatever the new head coach wants to do. 

Period.

I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

If I was one of these head coaching candidates, the first person I would call is Doug Pederson, to get the low-down.  I'd want to know what is the real truth about Baalke.  And Khan.

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Trent Baalke 2025 Offseason Tasks

Assist Khan in selecting a new head coach.  Assist the new head coach.  Do whatever the new head coach wants to do. 

Period.

I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

My serious best guess on that is that Khan mandated two men to collaborate on decisions - and they just never shared a cohesive vision. 

Some of the bad picks and acquisitions were likely a product of one or both of them compromising to the other and settling for less than what they wanted. 

They DEFINITELY disagreed on how to outfit the trenches of a football team and that totally bit them in the backside.

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I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

If I was one of these head coaching candidates, the first person I would call is Doug Pederson, to get the low-down.  I'd want to know what is the real truth about Baalke.  And Khan.

Agreed. If he'd take the call, I'd want his opinion for sure.

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I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

My serious best guess on that is that Khan mandated two men to collaborate on decisions - and they just never shared a cohesive vision. 

Some of the bad picks and acquisitions were likely a product of one or both of them compromising to the other and settling for less than what they wanted. 

They DEFINITELY disagreed on how to outfit the trenches of a football team and that totally bit them in the backside.

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If I was one of these head coaching candidates, the first person I would call is Doug Pederson, to get the low-down.  I'd want to know what is the real truth about Baalke.  And Khan.

Agreed. If he'd take the call, I'd want his opinion for sure.

I'm probably wrong, but this is where a more proactive owner should step in and demand the brain trust get things worked out to solve the problem. Who knows, maybe Khan did. However, given how long we've been so sorely lacking in line talent, I would venture to guess he didn't.

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Trent Baalke 2025 Offseason Tasks

Assist Khan in selecting a new head coach.  Assist the new head coach.  Do whatever the new head coach wants to do. 

Period.

I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

Dude, absolutely. Doug was so smug this year, it was so odd. His press conferences were so odd. Maybe we would get an answer like "you wouldn't understand", but we really need Doug's side to put some pieces together. 

The whole "who is calling the plays" thing STILL hasn't been answered. Some real weird [BLEEP] was going on between HC and GM/Owner.

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I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

Dude, absolutely. Doug was so smug this year, it was so odd. His press conferences were so odd. Maybe we would get an answer like "you wouldn't understand", but we really need Doug's side to put some pieces together. 

The whole "who is calling the plays" thing STILL hasn't been answered. Some real weird [BLEEP] was going on between HC and GM/Owner.

Yeah

I don't know where to even start the speculation as to what was going on with Pederson in 2024, but something was definitely off and it seemed like he got highly frustrated very early on and then phoned it in the rest of the way.

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I would give a dollar to hear what Doug Pederson thinks of Baalke and what happened behind the curtain.

My serious best guess on that is that Khan mandated two men to collaborate on decisions - and they just never shared a cohesive vision. 

Some of the bad picks and acquisitions were likely a product of one or both of them compromising to the other and settling for less than what they wanted. 

They DEFINITELY disagreed on how to outfit the trenches of a football team and that totally bit them in the backside.

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If I was one of these head coaching candidates, the first person I would call is Doug Pederson, to get the low-down.  I'd want to know what is the real truth about Baalke.  And Khan.

Agreed. If he'd take the call, I'd want his opinion for sure.

The only issue with calling him is that you're going to get a negative response, no matter who was innately at fault.  Now if you can do that just to get a feel for what the issues could be that's fine, but Doug's never going to suggest that the Jaguars job is great job to have.

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NYC4jags Wrote:
Can we leave the personal insults behind for a while and get back to some semblance of topic, gents?
Please, and thank you.

Dude, absolutely. Doug was so smug this year, it was so odd. His press conferences were so odd. Maybe we would get an answer like "you wouldn't understand", but we really need Doug's side to put some pieces together. 

The whole "who is calling the plays" thing STILL hasn't been answered. Some real weird [BLEEP] was going on between HC and GM/Owner.

Yeah

I don't know where to even start the speculation as to what was going on with Pederson in 2024, but something was definitely off and it seemed like he got highly frustrated very early on and then phoned it in the rest of the way.

"Look Doug, I know it's a make or break season for yo---, I mean....for us, a make or break year for us, so I want you to know that I'm all in. All in. And so I've figure out the best moves forward for both the offense and the defense. Now, hear me out on this, but I know you'll be just as excited as I am here. Two players. Gabe Davis. Ron freaking Darby. 

CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!

I know, right?!?!?!?!?!?!

You're just speechless, aren't you. Aren't you!"

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

My serious best guess on that is that Khan mandated two men to collaborate on decisions - and they just never shared a cohesive vision. 

Some of the bad picks and acquisitions were likely a product of one or both of them compromising to the other and settling for less than what they wanted. 

They DEFINITELY disagreed on how to outfit the trenches of a football team and that totally bit them in the backside.

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Agreed. If he'd take the call, I'd want his opinion for sure.

The only issue with calling him is that you're going to get a negative response, no matter who was innately at fault.  Now if you can do that just to get a feel for what the issues could be that's fine, but Doug's never going to suggest that the Jaguars job is great job to have.

Well, yeah.
 Something, something, Sherlock.
 It would be weird if he recommended the employer that just fired him. 

The point is what does he think makes it a bad job. That's what inquiring minds want to know. 

In all honesty, it sounds to me like Doug had his hands directly on the many of the moves and decisions that doomed the Jags since week 13 of 2023 and he has now paid the price for it. But I'd love to hear his take on Baalke, Khan, the supposed lack of hierarchy and what changes prompted him to just phone in the 2024 season.

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Convoluted is an understatement.

You involve the GM in the interview process, and ask him to have a say in who we bring in, and we think he'll be on board with anyone who even hints that they have GM replacements in mind?
You sit a candidate across from the current GM and ask them whether they want to work with part of the panel that may hire him, or if he wants to cut his own throat by recommending someone else?

Convoluted indeed. Shad doesn't want to do the dirty work. If you trust TB enough to keep him around, you commit to him. If you don't, why are are you letting him be a part of the process? I remember Johnson saying one of the things he was seeking was a team with unified direction, and this is a heaping helping of red flags in my book regarding unity. It's noncomittal, but maybe Shad is a heckuva salesperson.

The way I see it is that Khan already had the HC in the drivers seat with Pederson. 
They said they were making picks and acquisition decisions "together" but if they fired the HC and not the GM - it points toward the likelihood that the HC was really calling the shots at the end of the day. 

Is that backwards to conventional hierarchy? Yes, but it's hardly the first time (or twentieth time)  a coach has been handed the keys in the NFL. 

Shad clearly blames Doug more than he blames Trent but is also noncommittal about Trent.
 Culpability assigned IMO. 

Does that make it odd involving Trent in a search for a guy that might want him gone? 
Yeah - but he seems to have been living in that reality for the past 4 years anyway - so he knows the deal. 

They've put together a great list of coaches and asked to interview all of them.

The only questions now are these:

• Can Khan+Baalke+Waugh+the rest of their committee pick the right guy? 
  
• If Khan is open to a HC suggesting F.O. changes, don't you think he sees he'll have to navigate that carefully in interview sessions that include Baalke?  i.e. separate conversations are clearly going to be had with candidates to guage their comfort level working with Trent. Does that have to be a bad thing? 
  

Given Shad's preseason comment about the roster, I think he was happy with the direction, regardless of who had final say in who we brought in. I think the half measure is more a sign that there was no solution or adjustment when the plan didn't work. Outside of Darby, what personnel or scheme change did we see as an attempt to improve results?

If TB is this silver-tongued devil that everyone characterizes him to be, I think it's very dangerous giving him a say in who we bring in as HC, if Shad is open to letting the HC influence his GM position. I gotta bad feeling that TB will have an inkling, whether he's in the room or not, whether a candidate has a preference for the current or their own GM, and that's going to be a big part in who TB advocates for as the final decision. Does Shad have the stones to go against achieving consensus?

It's so very awkward, but so very Jaguars. We really do excel at shooting our own feet. It's a miracle we have any toes left at all. Probably the only good thing to come from the Bortles era.

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The way I see it is that Khan already had the HC in the drivers seat with Pederson. 
They said they were making picks and acquisition decisions "together" but if they fired the HC and not the GM - it points toward the likelihood that the HC was really calling the shots at the end of the day. 

Is that backwards to conventional hierarchy? Yes, but it's hardly the first time (or twentieth time)  a coach has been handed the keys in the NFL. 

Shad clearly blames Doug more than he blames Trent but is also noncommittal about Trent.
 Culpability assigned IMO. 

Does that make it odd involving Trent in a search for a guy that might want him gone? 
Yeah - but he seems to have been living in that reality for the past 4 years anyway - so he knows the deal. 

They've put together a great list of coaches and asked to interview all of them.

The only questions now are these:

• Can Khan+Baalke+Waugh+the rest of their committee pick the right guy? 
  
• If Khan is open to a HC suggesting F.O. changes, don't you think he sees he'll have to navigate that carefully in interview sessions that include Baalke?  i.e. separate conversations are clearly going to be had with candidates to guage their comfort level working with Trent. Does that have to be a bad thing? 
  

Given Shad's preseason comment about the roster, I think he was happy with the direction, regardless of who had final say in who we brought in. I think the half measure is more a sign that there was no solution or adjustment when the plan didn't work. Outside of Darby, what personnel or scheme change did we see as an attempt to improve results?

If TB is this silver-tongued devil that everyone characterizes him to be, I think it's very dangerous giving him a say in who we bring in as HC, if Shad is open to letting the HC influence his GM position. I gotta bad feeling that TB will have an inkling, whether he's in the room or not, whether a candidate has a preference for the current or their own GM, and that's going to be a big part in who TB advocates for as the final decision. Does Shad have the stones to go against achieving consensus?

It's so very awkward, but so very Jaguars. We really do excel at shooting our own feet. It's a miracle we have any toes left at all. Probably the only good thing to come from the Bortles era.

To the bolded - I don't agree at all with that.  
That comment was made to coaches and players in a private meaning as a challenge to them all to win now. 
He did not proclaim publicly that this was the best Jags team assembled - and it only became public when that "hunt" documentary released its third episode. 
That was Khan saying "no excuses" to the staff and players. They failed and he fired a super bowl winning coach as a result. 

Here's the context so it's clear and not soundbyte'd
Because I think Jags nation as a whole is missing the boat on this big time. 

Khan takes podium
Khan tells the team/staff we just signed a deal with the city to build a new stadium
Says that reporters calling on him about the stadium also asked Khan about "football" 

Khan's words from that point forward:

"I was quoted: For us, winning now is the expectation. So I've been looking forward to tonight (the meeting with players and staff) to set the record straight. I was NOT misquoted. Let me just repeat: Winning now IS the expectation. Make no mistake, this is the best team assembled by the Jacksonville Jaguars, ever. Best players, best coaches, but most importantly , Let's PROVE it by winning now." 

Do you think that was a decree of quality or a mandate to go win some [BLEEP] football games?? 


In defense of the dubious "best team" statement - which I wholeheartedly believe was meant as a challenge, not a decree - this roster very likely is the second most talented group assembled in Jax since Khan took over. 
Sad. Very sad. But also true. 

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Next: 


How is firing Doug Pederson and probably 90% of his staff a half measure, exactly? 
Seems a little fuzzy on the math to me. 

Khan has now made it crystal clear that the next coach is going to have power beyond the GM's in decision making and can even influence a personnel changes in the front office. 
And it is also now clear that Doug apparently had more juice than Baalke did when it came to player personnel decisions. 

So Baalke was somewhat subservient to Pederson and will be even more so with the next guy. 

That's why this is more than a "half measure" from my perspective. It may not be the clean sweep I wanted and most wanted, but it is pretty darn close. 

I'd much prefer a new GM and coach coming in together and telling us all that they have a shared vision and solidarity on everything from defensive linemen arm length requirements to the water alkalinity in the training rooms. 
But what we have is an owner saying "I'm making this GM give the next guy whatever he wants, and if the next guy wants this GM gone, we'll consider that too." 

Regarding Khan having the stones or not:
Yes, I think firing Doug and leaving Baalke neutered and dangling by a thread publicly in that presser shows he is willing to make the change if a HC candidate convinces him.

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Not requoting to avoid a text wall.

I see the team at the top to be a three headed monster - owner, coach, and GM. With that established, Khan having the expectation of immediate winning implies that he believed the team was built and capable of winning, or he was just blowing smoke up the team's backside. Firing only the coach (one of the other two heads, thus half measure) suggests that he saw the culpability being in how the team was led on Sunday, and not with how it was being managed from day to day. Doug certainly had input regarding the build. Was he the ultimate authority? Maybe, maybe not. If the roster WASN'T built, or ready to win now, why keep the GM unless he had zero say in the way the team was put together?

I just see Khan's stance on TB's permanence to be passive. He's not committing to him, but also not willing to start fresh without him, either. Seems a heckuva lot like he's putting the burden on the HC hire to give the thumbs up or down instead, which is not the assertive, confident demeanor I'd prefer our owner to have. It's a complacence with the way things are and have been. I kinda want to see someone mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore.

Maybe I just can't grok the way Shad is running the show, hopefully things work out, but I sure got an uneasy feeling.

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So if the bolded is true, what does Baalke do around here?

He doesn't coach. He doesn't pick the players.

If that's actually a serious question - I'm wasting my keystrokes here. 

I'm sure you have some inkling of what he does. 

He manages an entire staff of personnel people that research prospects as well as pro players who may be available in the short or long term - and these employees also help him register and archive the progress of his acquisitions.
 He directs an office full of number crunchers that help him navigate constantly ongoing contract work and cap management. He does have LOTS to do with picking players - even if Khan most recently gave his past two coaches deference over the GM. It's a major process and the final decisions are only one part of it. 

Don't be naive, man. I know you're smarter than that. 

I want a better guy in his shoes as much as most fans, but I don't try to paint the guy as some useless figurehead with clipped wings.  He's done plenty of worthwhile work between being part of some bad picks and signings.

Why do fans have such a hard time objectively criticizing this guy? 
It's weird. You don't have to invent bull [BLEEP] to find his faults.

https://y.yarn.co/4541bcf4-fce5-4f2f-bcc...862bbe.mp4

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Got to upgrade the secondary. Worst pass defense in the history of the franchise.

Gotta clean a little house with guys like Kirk, Davis, Cisco, Savage, Darby, Duvernay and Etienne.

I’m not sure why it’s not a bigger deal than it is, but Bigsby is the starting RB as of right now. Parker Washington is my return ace on special teams, and he’s my slot for now.

You gotta find something in Free Agency in that secondary, at CB or Safety. Don’t be flabbergasted if they go LT or DT in round 1 and leave Harris over there on the right side, which would be exactly what dum dum probably ends up doing.

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Got to upgrade the secondary. Worst pass defense in the history of the franchise.

Gotta clean a little house with guys like Kirk, Davis, Cisco, Savage, Darby, Duvernay and Etienne.

I’m not sure why it’s not a bigger deal than it is, but Bigsby is the starting RB as of right now. Parker Washington is my return ace on special teams, and he’s my slot for now.

You gotta find something in Free Agency in that secondary, at CB or Safety. Don’t be flabbergasted if they go LT or DT in round 1 and leave Harris over there on the right side, which would be exactly what dum dum probably ends up doing.

Lol, you're not getting rid of Davis, Savage, or ETN. I also doubt they're moving on from Kirk. People acting like this team has no money and wanna cut a team leader just because he's got a contract then gripe that we don't have any players. 

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

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In summary abandon hope all who post here. Yeah rah rah Baalke.

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Birth of the Franchise - November 30, 1993
Death of the Franchise - November 29, 2011

Fans deserve better. Thanks for all the good times too many are in the past.

Still sticking with corn.

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