Trent Baalke refutes retirement rumors: ‘I’m far from it’
Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke says he isn’t planning on retiring any time soon.
Days after Pete Prisco of CBS Sports said that there’s “definitely” been talk inside the Jaguars organization about the potential retirement of Baalke, the executive laughed off a question about the rumor Thursday.
“I contemplate that on a daily basis,” Baalke joked. “No, I’m gonna be 60 years old. I’m far from retirement.”
It’s not a surprising thing to hear, given Baalke sat in on the team’s interviews for a new defensive coordinator and weighed in on the hire of Ryan Nielsen at the position. If Baalke was planning on not being a part of shaping the team in 2024 and beyond, he’s given no indication.
That probably comes as unwelcome news to the many Jaguars fans who have publicly voiced their desire for a change at general manager.
Hired as director of player personnel in 2020 and promoted to general manager upon the firing of Dave Caldwell later that year, Baalke oversaw the reconstruction of the roster that led to the Jaguars winning the AFC South in 2022. That team was largely constructed by a wave of free agent additions, though, and Jacksonville had severe issues on the offensive line and defensive line in 2023.
It seems the only way Baalke is leaving the Jaguars is if owner Shad Khan chooses to fire him. And that doesn’t look like a move that’ll be made this offseason.
