There are few greater blessings than the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick when you’re a team starting from scratch. Arguably the league’s most valuable asset, if a quarterback’s on the table — especially a special player — you can turn your franchise around on the snap of their beautiful throwing motion.
That’s the opportunity the Jaguars still have with Trevor Lawrence, the former Clemson superstar selected with the first pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. Few quarterbacks possess Lawrence’s rare combination of poise, arm strength and athletic ability. With Lawrence at his best, who is now in his second year as a pro, the Jaguars can not only be a fixture in the AFC but also be a mainstay on the sport’s brightest stages for his entire career.
Of course, there’s always a looming specter of doom in these sorts of situations — something that can hold back the potential glory of someone like Lawrence due to stubbornness (stubbornness most often in human dynamics, anyway). That doom, that shadow for the Jaguars is their current general manager Trent Baalke, a man who seems to be holding up the entire future in Jacksonville with his very presence.
Tampa Bay Times Buccaneers beat reporter Rick Stroud joined SiriusXM and NFL Network’s Rich Eisen on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Baalke situation and how it’s affecting potential hires of Byron Leftwich or Todd Bowles as the Jaguars’ leader.
The overall sentiment was blunt, to a harsh point: No one wants to collaborate with Baalke. Not a soul.
They've been on multiple interviews, so why haven't #GoBucs assistants Byron Leftwich and Todd Bowles been hired anywhere as head coaches?@NFLSTROUD said it bluntly:#NFL #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/L3f446Q83a
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) February 2, 2022
Baalke is in the throes of his second off-season as the Jaguars’ general manager, following the disgraced ouster of former head coach Urban Meyer. But owner Shad Khan, who stood by Baalke amid rampant fan anger and dismay, might want to reconsider that decision before the situation blows up in his face. Other teams have fired general managers for way less than that disastrous of a head coaching decision.
Jaguars fans are protesting GM Trent Baalke by wearing clown costumes 🤡😂
🎥: @BoldCityBrigade
pic.twitter.com/5QenoK4FIB— PFF (@PFF) January 9, 2022
Leftwich is the particular elephant in the room. The star Tampa Bay offensive coordinator has been the assumed coach-in-waiting in Jacksonville for weeks now. A former Jaguar and quarterback himself, his fit with Lawrence seems natural, seamless and ideal to maximize someone who many consider a generational talent.
But, as posited, Leftwich doesn’t want to team up with Baalke. He even wanted to pull a power move and bring over Adrian Wilson, Cardinals vice president of scouting, as the Jaguars’ general manager instead.
Hearing the Jaguars are close to hiring Adrian Wilson as their GM and Byron Leftwich as HC.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) January 27, 2022
That news is now almost a week old. The Jaguars still do not have a head coach, and for now, don’t seem to have any other promising prospects they’re particularly keen about aside from Leftwich. Baalke is also still employed by them. All of this painting a detailed picture of Baalke — who initially developed a reputation for being difficult in San Francisco with Jim Harbaugh — as someone a young coach doesn’t want to risk their career on.
If the Jaguars aren’t careful, they’ll miss out on Leftwich and other promising candidates. More importantly, they’ll leave their only true hope at relevance, Lawrence, hanging on by a thread.
Whatever the solution does turn out to be, it’s clear Baalke cannot continue if the Jaguars want a future where they’re not in the race for the No. 1 pick every year. Jacksonville has the top choice for the second-straight year and, according to Tipico Sportsbook, is slated to pick Michigan standout pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson (+155). It’s not too late to give someone the keys to this luxurious car with two talents like that in the fold.
Leftwich can still take the job: If Baalke leaves.
Lawrence deserves better, Hutchison would theoretically deserve better and so does Jacksonville on the whole.
Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).
