The Jags’ former general manager finally found a new gig in the league, and it’ll put him on course to cross paths with his old team.
It took a little while, but former Jacksonville Jaguars general manager has found his next gig in the NFL.
According to CBS Sports reporter Matt Zenitz, the Cleveland Browns are hiring Baalke to their front office staff in the role of a consultant.
Cleveland Browns hiring former Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke as a consultant
Baalke was hired by the Jaguars in February 2020 as director of player personnel after spending the previous three years working for the NFL as a football operations consultant. That followed a six-year stint (2011-16) as general manager of the San Francisco 49ers.
He was promoted to Jacksonville’s interim GM near the end of the 2020 season after Dave Caldwell was fired and thereafter had the interim tag removed. He held the position from 2021-2024, compiling a record of 25-43 over that span. He was responsible for drafting Trevor Lawrence, Travis Etienne, Devin Lloyd, and Brian Thomas, Jr., among others.
Jacksonville fired head coach Doug Pederson after the 2024 season that saw the Jags slump to a 4-13 record, but Shad Khan ultimately decided to keep Baalke, at least initially. However, after a number of top candidates turned elsewhere, the Jaguars and Baalke decided to split mutually, or at least that’s how Khan characterized it. Liam Coen reversed course on his decision to stay in Tampa, accepting Jacksonville’s head coach offer in February 2025, and the rest is history.
Baalke’s new team will square off against his old one this season, as the Browns are one of Jacksonville’s scheduled home opponents for 2026. And the welcome home (barring the Browns being a London opponent) likely won’t be a warm one from Jacksonville faithful.
