Observations on Trent Baalke’s NFL Combine interviews

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke had two interviews at the 2024 NFL Combine. Here’s everything you need to know.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are back in the news cycle after head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke addressed media at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis on Tuesday.

Both figureheads had a scheduled press conference plus a one-on-one interview with Frank Frangie, the team’s play-by-play announcer and a radio host at 1010XL. Pederson also spoke to some reporters off to the side after speaking at the podium; you can find that and Frangie’s interviews on 1010XL’s YouTube, and the press conferences on the Jaguars’ YouTube.

Travis Holmes broke down Pederson’s biggest quotes here. The following are our biggest takeaways from Trent Baalke’s appearances at the Combine.

Quotes are from Tuesday’s press conference unless otherwise noted.

The team wants Josh Allen, Calvin Ridley, and Ezra Cleveland back

There isn’t a bigger storyline this offseason than the team’s contract talks with outside linebacker Josh Allen, who was ranked a top-three impending free agent by NFL.com, ESPN and PFF. Baalke said at his end-of-season presser, “Josh will be a Jaguar,” though he admitted negotiations hadn’t begun.

On Tuesday, Baalke said the team is “working” on extending Allen’s deal.

“That’s an ongoing discussion that we’re having with his agent, in fact later today I’m going to have another meeting with him as well. So just ongoing.”

He later expanded to Frangie:

“It’s ongoing. Any time you’re talking about doing a deal with a marquee player, there’s a lot of factors involved. I have ongoing discussions with Joel, in fact, I’m meeting with him, [Allen’s] agent, here in the next couple hours, just have another chat. There’s going to be back and forth like there’s in every negotiation, and you’re just trying to find a common ground, and if you can reach a common ground. My goal is, our goal is as an organization, is to reach a common ground. Is it likely in the next 24 hours or 48- I don’t know, I don’t think either side knows at this point. But we got to work together, we got to get to the table, and that’s the only way it’s going to get done.”

Baalke said he didn’t want to speculate on using the franchise tag on Allen to extend the negotiating window.

“We got a week, a little over a week to work with here. We’re going to work diligently with his agent to try to come to a resolution on this thing. So that’s where our focus is right now.”

Later to Frangie:

“Yeah, you’re always trying to get things done sooner rather than later. It helps us as we move forward in our planning, because it does affect the salary cap. But if it doesn’t get done it’s not an end-all either. We’re going to work diligently with them to try to get something done, and hopefully get it done sooner rather than later.”

There have been several reports that Jacksonville will place its tag on Allen and continue to work on a deal through the offseason. Barring new developments from Indianapolis this week, that should remain the expectation.

It’s a similar story for Jacksonville’s impending wide receiver. Baalke said in January, “Calvin did some awfully good things. I love Calvin Ridley. He’s all ball.” The sentiment remains.

“I had a meeting with Calvin the other day in my office. I had a great talk with Calvin, I know exactly where he’s at and he knows exactly where we’re at. We’re just going to continue to work with all of these players and try to come to some form of compromise, some form of resolution as the weeks go on.”

To Frangie:

“We like Calvin, obviously. Calvin and I sat down in my office, 2-3 days ago. He came in and we just had a heart-to-heart. Love Calvin. He’s so passionate about the game of football, and Trevor [Lawrence] and him were starting to build a little bit of synergy as the season went on, and it’s only going to get better as we move forward. So we’re going to do what we can in that area as well.”

Ridley is likely to hit free agency; partly because the tag could be occupied by Allen, but mostly because if Ridley signs a new deal with the Jaguars before the new league begins on March 13, the Atlanta Falcons would receive a second-round compensation instead of the currently-owed third-rounder.

Baalke seemingly confirmed the logistics.

“Well, we’re not real concerned with that- whether it’s a second or a third round- we’re just going to work with the player and see if we can come to an agreement, whether that’s before that compensation changes or not. That remains to be seen but we’re more focused on the player.”

Jaguar Report’s John Shipley hinted in a radio interview with 1010XL last week that the team could be proactive about a deal with Ridley (which wouldn’t be tampering since he is on the current roster). “It’s absolutely, to this point, something that they’re working on where they want to the framework of a deal [with Ridley] done … it’d be very surprising if there weren’t very serious talks leading up to free agency.”

Shipley also said he trusts the word of Ridley, who stated, “I don’t really care to learn other people and plays and all the other stuff right now” during locker room cleanup after Week 18.

Again, based on Baalke’s recent comments, the status quo remains. The team figures to tag Allen — assuming an agreement isn’t made by the tag deadline on March 5 — and offer Ridley a predetermined contract when the free agency negotiating window begins on March 11.

That plan does come with the risk that another team could outbid the Jaguars for Ridley’s services, especially with Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr. and Mike Evans unlikely to reach the open market.

Jacksonville also plans to work on a deal with left guard Ezra Cleveland before next month.

“We like Ezra, in fact, we’ll be meeting with his agent sometime this week. I believe it’s Thursday or Friday, we’re meeting with Ron. We’ll sit down and talk, we traded for him for a reason and we think he’s an awfully good football player. We’d like him back. We’d like all of our players back. That’s the way we roll. Unfortunately, you can’t get them all back. We’ll work hard, talk with Ron, his agent, and we’ll talk with Ezra a little bit and see if we can come to an agreement.”

PFF’s Brad Speilberger projects Cleveland to land a three-year, $28.5 million contract at $9.5 million per year, which ranks seventh-highest among impending interior offensive line free agents. Spotrac estimates a four-year, $53.3 million deal at $13.3 million per year.

Though his situation has lower stakes than that of Allen or Ridley, Cleveland will still receive attention from other front offices after starting 54 games in the first four seasons of his career.

Baalke made it clear that he would like all three players back in 2024, but based on his remarks, I think Cleveland has the highest chance of finding a new team this offseason.

Cam Robinson could stay, depends on future extensions

The Jaguars could save $17.3 million in salary cap space with $3.9 million left in dead cap by moving on from left tackle Cam Robinson. Baalke seemingly put those notions aside on Tuesday.

“I don’t know where the ambiguity was, he’s under contract and the expectation is that he will be back. We have had a lot of discussions over the last two weeks, we obviously have a lot of moves we’ve got to do. There’s a lot of players that have hit free agency, there’s another bunch of young guys that we’re working on potential extensions for. We’ve got a lot of balls in the air right now and we’re just going to try to play them one by one.”

He also said the team is “in good cap shape right now.”

“We’re sitting pretty good, I think we’re in the middle to upper tier of the league in terms of cap space available. We’ve got moves that we can do to create more cap space. We like the position we’re in, we like the flexibility that we have. Again, we’re not going to disclose any of our thoughts right here, but we feel good with where we’re at.”

In his sitdown with Frangie, Baalke added that such moves will be coming soon.

“It’ll be within the next week or so, those plans will be unveiled to the public.”

Baalke also reiterated to Frangie that money has to be put aside for players on rookie contracts.

“Well, it’s tough because you get attached to these players as well. So you got to put the emotional side away because they give so much to the organization. Every one of these guys gives everything they have to hopefully winning a championship. And there’s some times when you can’t please them all financially, it’s impossible. You got young guys coming in that eventually are going to need contracts, like Trevor [Lawrence], and Tyson [Campbell], and Andre [Cisco], all these guys- Walker [Litte]. You got a group of guys that are ascending, and then you got a group that’s there making it. You can’t make them all happy financially. There’s a cap, and the cap is real. Now, you can push some money and do some things, but at some point you got to make tough decisions, and I think that’s where we’re at with this offseason. There’s going to be some tough decisions that have to be made.”

Quarterback Trevor Lawrence, cornerback Tyson Campbell, and safety Andre Cisco were mentioned by name, followed by offensive tackle Walker Little after a slight hesitation. Running back Travis Etienne was not brought up. All five players were part of Baalke’s first draft class as Jaguars general manager in 2021.

Baalke was also asked at the presser about extensions for Lawrence and Etienne, and though his answer was less revealing, it’s still worth noting.

“I don’t want to say yes to anything at this point, they’re good football players and you certainly don’t want to lose them.”

The key to adding toughness in the trenches? Adding competition

Baalke said the following in January:

“We’ve got to get bigger, we’ve got to get stronger, we’ve got to get more physical in the trenches.

“… We also got to look to how we make this a more competitive situation. Guys get nervous when the guy behind them is pushing them everyday for the starting role. Iron sharpens iron. So you got to make these rooms as competitive as you can, whether it’s through the draft or through free agency, we’ve got to attack that to make these rooms as competitive as they can be so the guy that’s starting is always feeling the pressure of the guy behind him.”

That motto stayed consistent on Tuesday.

“I think broad brush, I think it’s a good group. I think there’s strength in the interior, both of the defensive side and the offensive side. I look forward to it being a very competitive group coming out of this year’s draft.

“… I think you want to make each room as competitive as you make it. Whether it’s the d-line room, the o-line room, the receiver room. Competition is good; it’s a good thing to have on your team. You want to strengthen it all the time. Each time, you want to continue to look at ways to strengthen. That’s what we do as team builders.”

To Frangie:

“We know we need to add to the room, we know we need to get more competitive in there.

“… Again, it comes back to competition. How competitive can we make those rooms, so that everybody has to take one step forward or two steps forward. Nobody’s going to be allowed to stay the same. Status quo doesn’t work because it wasn’t good enough- we finished 9-8, we were out of the playoffs, so something’s got to give. We got to get better and we all know that.”

These comments go hand-in-hand with a tweet from Mark Long of the Associated Press — Baalke mostly mentioned competition when asked about Fortner.

It looks like the team’s plan is to raise the floor of offensive line play by strengthening the bottom of the unit, rather than raising the ceiling by upgrading starters.

Travon Walker could play inside more

Baalke told Frangie that the defensive scheme won’t change much from 2023 to 2024.

“Well I think what Coach [Nielsen] said- So much of what we play in this world nowadays is four-man fronts, four-man surfaces, and nickel coverage. Nickel and dime. 70%, 75% of the time you’re in that anyway, so regardless if you’re built out of a 30 package- from a personnel perspective- or out of the 40, the bottom line is you’re playing the same stuff 75% of the time, 70-75% of the time. It’s going to look a little bit different, but the overriding- from a personnel perspective, it isn’t going to change very much on what type of players we’re looking for.”

That said, there could be a change coming for outside linebacker Travon Walker. Baalke said at his presser that he’s “excited” for Walker’s role in the defense.

“I think Ryan [Nielsen] has proven over time, especially with the front, he’s done an excellent job with those guys developing them. Moving them around in varying positions along the front to work matchups and stuff like that. I think you’re going to see a lot of that as we move forward. But again, I’m in the personnel side, I’ll let the coaches talk about the coaching.”

“… I think he’s just scratching the surface. With the way he works and the way he competes, I think his ceiling is very, very high and what we thought it was when we drafted him obviously with the first pick in the draft.”

Baalke later said to Frangie:

“Yeah, I think Travon’s progress, his development is what we expected it to be. We knew what we were getting when we drafted him with the first pick overall two years ago. He hadn’t played a lot of football, he hadn’t done a lot of the things that we were going to ask him to do at the NFL level, especially on his feet, playing in space, setting edges from the two-point [stance]. He played a lot of 4-technique in college. So there was going to be a developmental curve for him, and I think you saw it from year one to year two. I think you’re going to see it even more from year two to year three.

“… He’s such a talented player, what he allows you to do is look for matchups. I think you’ll see that more- and again, I’m not the coach, I don’t scheme- but I think you’re going to see him move around the formations a little more and try to look for matchups a little more aggressively. But I don’t know that. I just envision that that’s the direction we’re headed with him.”

On the Combine

In truth, the NFL Combine isn’t as important as it’s made out to be — teams are mostly just there for medical reports. But Baalke did reveal one way that teams can gather information.

“Well, there’s a lot of ways we try to get a feel for what other teams are thinking and if I shared that with you, then you’d take that back to San Francisco. [He was addressing a 49ers reporter.] I think you just try to get a gauge on what the team needs are for other teams, who they’re sending guys around to look at and all the other things we chart and keep track of. The bottom line is worrying about you. You have got to make the best decision you can for you, it helps if you have a little bit of feel for what other teams are going to do, especially if they’re right in front of you in the draft. It’s impossible to know what other teams are thinking.”

He said getting to know the players is his favorite part of the event.

“I think the thing we enjoy most is getting in front of the players and just sit down. You only get 18 minutes roughly with them, just trying to get as much information as you can, your general impression of them. Don’t use that impression too heavily one way or the other, some guys come in and they’re nervous as cats just like I am when I get up here. You just try to get a feel for the player, that’s all you’re trying to do. Getting a chance to watch them work out, more than not, some of these guys aren’t working out or they’re not doing all of the drills like they used to do, so it’s a little bit different. The most important thing for us is the medical, that’s what the combine years ago has started to do and that’s what we’re kind of back to. It’s really a good place to get the medical assessments that you need to make the decisions you need to make in the draft.”

Frangie asked Baalke what he gains most from the week.

“Well, that’s changed over the years. It’s getting more and more restrictive to access the players. You get short segments with guys. They’re a lot more schooled up than they used to be, whether it’s on the mental test, whether it’s on the interviews themselves, or the physical testing. There’s just such a process that these guys go through now in preparation for this combine that years ago they didn’t- they came in, they were kind of raw. Now they’re schooled in every aspect of it. So I think you get a little bit less than you used to, or quite a bit less than you used to get, but there’s still value.”

Quick-hit quotes

Lock in a cornerback at 17th overall

“That’s a good question, who is going to be the third [starting cornerback]. We’ve got to add to that group, I think Coach Nielsen spoke on it, Coach Pederson probably spoke on it. Now, I’m speaking on it. It’s a group we need to address. We feel good about the group we have, we feel like we’ve got some good, young guys to work with. We’ve got some veterans in there, but we’re definitely going to look to add to that group.”

“… I think the draft at the corner position is going to be strong, I think it’s a good group. I think there’s going to be good players at the top end of the market and good players all the way through in the developmental range. I think it’s going to be a pretty good group of players in that specific position group.”

Confidence level in Press Taylor as an offensive play caller

“Again, I think Press is growing as a play caller. There’s a natural maturation to that. I don’t get into the coaching side of things, I sat in with Coach [Pederson] on the interviews and stuff like that, but I have full confidence in Coach to make the right decisions for this football team. Whatever decision he makes, I support.”

Good teams draft good players

“When I was in San Francisco we took Vernon Davis, I think with the sixth pick in the draft. That worked out pretty well for us. When you got a chance to take a good player, we can argue about the value of the position all we want, but you took good players when they’re sitting in front of you.

“… We took Mike Iupati with the 17th pick in the draft the one year, and it turned out pretty darn well. Again, it goes back to did the player turn out to be a football player or didn’t he? You’re never going to get criticized for taking a good player.”

Where the blame falls for the 2023 season

“Everyone has their opinion on [whether enough pass rush was added last offseason]. I don’t ever try to look back and say, ‘What if?’ There’s things that we’ve got to do better and ultimately, it falls on my shoulders to make the right decisions and make the right moves. With obviously a lot of discussion and talk with Coach [Head Coach Doug Pederson], and we’re very much on the same page. We work hard to be on the same page. We’re going to continue to do what we do.

“… You can’t just point to one thing and say, ‘That’s why we finished the way we finished.’ There are multiple things, tentacles that stretched into different areas of the organization. We all have to own it and no one better to own it than me. When I look at this thing, extremely disappointed where we were at and where we finished, but motivated to fix it.”

Reaction to the NFL cap rising about $13 million more than expected

“I don’t think it really changes anything. Obviously it affects everybody the same way, so it’s not like it creates an advantage or a disadvantage for us. So, no feeling one way or another on it.”

Life as a general manager is tough, but life as a fan is tough too (via Frangie)

“It’s hard being a fan. It is, because you don’t have as much control as you want over the situation, and I understand that. We’ve got a great fan base, Frank, and I appreciate their passion. So when they lash out at me for decisions that are made or the record, I get it. And I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s the job we live with, and the responsibility we bare. So I’m good with all of that.”

Thoughts on newly-hired Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh

“I work for the Jacksonville Jaguars, not L.A. I worked with Jim for a number of years, I have great respect for him, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

When you look at the big picture, the Jaguars aren’t far from being a championship-level team (via Frangie)

“Well I think you got to look at everything. We were 8-3, and one game away from being number one in the AFC for seeding purposes, and then we kind of lost it. We went 5 and- we lost five of our last six games and obviously we finished one game out of the playoffs, huge disappointment, and when you go through something like that- you’d be making a huge mistake to jump to any conclusions too quickly.

“… We’re not there, we’re not where we need to be, but we’re getting closer. This offseason is an important offseason. I felt, when we took this thing over, I felt like year two we could push for a playoff spot. We did that. I wasn’t expecting, and I don’t think any of us were expecting, us to fall back, but we did. And I think if we use it the right way, constructively, and we really look at why- the why’s of how we ended up at 9-8, one game out of the playoffs- we’re going to be a better organization for it and I look forward to being a part of that.”