Trent Baalke is back in an NFL franchise's front office.
"I have known Trent for two decades and he'll be a valuable addition to our personnel department," Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said in a team statement. "He had a lot of success during his time in San Francisco and has proven that he has a great eye for talent and constructing a team, so we're excited for him to be a part of the organization. We look forward to welcoming Trent and his wife, Beth, to Jacksonville, and we expect him to get involved immediately as we make decisions on our current roster and approach free agency."
The 55-year-old Baalke was most recently a football operations consultant for the NFL.
He'll now make a move east after more than a decade on the West Coast working for the 49ers, as he began his days in San Francisco in 2005 as a western regional scout and was promoted to Niners director of player personnel -- the same position he's taking in Jacksonville -- before eventually rising to GM.
Baalke, a veteran of 20-plus years in the NFL, spent 12 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers (2005-16), including six seasons as the 49ers' general manager from 2011-16. From 2017-19, Baalke worked for the NFL as a football operations consultant.
Baalke is known most for his time in San Francisco as the 49ers posted a 51-44 record during his tenure and put together three straight NFC West title runs -- highlighted by a trip to the Super Bowl in the 2012 season.
As change sweeps through Duval, the Jags are bringing on some valued experience and a former GM who knows how to turn around a franchise and make it a winner -- which is precisely what the Jaguars and owner Shad Khan are aiming to do.
