Cleveland hires the former Jaguars ganeral manager Trent Baalke in an attempt to overhaul a Browns team reeling after two losing seasons and a controversy-filled offseason.
The Cleveland Browns hired former Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke in a "consultant-like capacity," CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz reported Saturday.
Baalke will work alongside Andrew Berry, the Browns' general manager, to help turn the franchise around.
The team is aiming to bounce back from two consecutive losing seasons after an 11-6 record in 2023. Former Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski was ousted in January after the Browns went 3-14, then 5-12 in back-to-back seasons.
Within two weeks, Stefanski was hired to coach the Atlanta Falcons. The Browns eventually hired Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken to replace Stefanski after a search that reportedly had Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski in the mix as a finalist until he withdrew from consideration.
The Browns' defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, resigned after the team passed on him to hire Monken. Schwartz had turned the Browns' defense into one of the best in the league during his tenure.
Baalke started as the Jaguars' director of player personnel in 2020, then became interim general manager in the same year, and was officially named general manager from 2021 to 2024. It was a rough tenure in Jacksonville as the team posted a 25-43 record under his guidance.
His first season at the helm was far from satisfactory despite drafting Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft. Jacksonville extended its 15-game losing streak from the previous season to a 20-game losing streak before defeating the Miami Dolphins in Week 6.
The 2021 season, with Baalke installed as GM and Urban Meyer as the new coach of the Jaguars, was a disaster from the start and ended in Meyer's ouster in December as the team reeled to a 2-11 record before owner Shahid Khan fired him for mistreatment of players and fellow coaches.
Darrell Bevell succeeded Meyer as the interim coach, and Jacksonville finished the season 3-14, securing the No. 1 pick in back-to-back seasons.
Baalke bounced back from an unimpressive first year with a historically active offseason, spending $175.3 million in guaranteed money signing players like Evan Engram, Christian Kirk and Foyesade Oluokun.
He added Travon Walker with the 1st pick in the 2022 draft, and after overhauling the coaching staff, Baalke recorded his first winning season, playoff appearance and playoff victory in Jacksonville.
The Jaguars, under Doug Pederson, defeated the Los Angeles Chargers, 31-30, before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.
It seemed like Jacksonville was primed for one of the better seasons in franchise history in 2022, starting 8-3, but injuries to Lawrence and Kirk derailed the year.
Baalke finished his third year as the general manager with another 9-8 record, but missed the playoffs because the Houston Texans defeated the Indianapolis Colts to eliminate them from contention.
In his final season with Jacksonville, the team regressed to a 4-13 record. The signings of players like Arik Armstead, Gabe Davis and Darnell Savage could not help improve the Jaguars' record.
In January 2024, the Jaguars fired Baalke and Pederson, as they lost more than they won during their tenures.
Baalke had a similar tenure with the San Francisco 49ers. He started as a scout and slowly climbed up the ranks.
After serving as a scout for two years, he was promoted to director of player personnel in 2008 and then vice president of player personnel in 2010.
The 49ers named him the general manager in 2011, and he manned the position until 2016. Baalke earned PFWA Executive of the Year in his first season for transforming the team from a 6-10 record to 13-3 in his first season.
San Francisco maintained its winning ways for the next few years until recording a .500 record in 2014 at 8-8. From then on, Baalke struggled to get the 49ers back to winning.
The 49ers posted a 5-11 record in 2015 and a 2-14 season in 2016, which led to his dismissal after the season ended.
Now, as the Browns' consultant, he will provide crucial advice to the organization and help improve the unseen margins to propel Cleveland back to a winning season.
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