Welcome to the Week 6 edition of the Midnight Mailbag! I’ll be asking for your lingering questions after each Jaguars game on 1010XL’s Facebook and X/Twitter pages, with the submission deadline set for 11:59 p.m. the same day.
Here were your questions following Jacksonville’s 35-16 loss to the Chicago Bears.
From Flacanagem — Yes. Who’s fired first? Doug or Baalke?
Doug Pederson will be fired before the season ends, or he’ll be fired after the season ends, or Pederson and Trent Baalke will be fired after the season ends. As of today, I believe the middle option is the most likely. Pederson feels as good as gone but Baalke is a bit of a wild card.
From Ian Jensen — Yeah why do Doug and Trent still have Jobs?
Since the Jaguars were purchased by Shad Khan in 2012, Jacksonville has lost more games than any other NFL franchise. They’ve employed five different head coaches and just three different general managers in that span. In other words, Khan gives a very long leash to the people he hires.
From Richard Ito — Shad Khan never does a full reset. I am going to assume Pederson gets fired in the offseason. Will the GM be Baalke or Ethan Waugh next year?
Waugh is a Baalke guy so I expect it will be Baalke or a fresh face.
From Steven Sunstrom — We all know Shad Kahn is going to stand by his Investment and believes in the coaches, GM. Said so himself. So we know changes won’t happen. My question is what will it actually take to blow it up. Because losing sure doesn’t make that happen. Trent Baalke record speaks to that.
Kicking the kicker, according to history.
From Steven Sunstrom — Another question I have would the Jacksonville Jaguars benefit from a head coach that is also there General manager?
Probably not. Sean Payton is the only current NFL head coach I can think of who also has de facto general manager powers. Owning both titles is almost unheard of nowadays. While it makes sense to have a unified vision from the top of the organization, it’s best to have more checks and balances in place so no one person has too much control.
From General of Duval — Doug talked about culture isn’t it too late to be changing?
“We’ve got to change,” Pederson said in a postgame interview with Bucky Brooks. “I mean, I say we, it’s all of us, coaches, players, everybody. We have got to change right now, that culture. Otherwise it just gets out of control. We’re on a slippery slope or right on the cusp of that slope and at some point we’ve got to, we just have to — enough is enough. And you got to have enough pride and figure out a way.”
He followed up on Monday: “If you feel like you’re going into a game where you don’t have a chance, then you’re not going to have a chance. You’re not going to give yourself an opportunity to win that game. So that’s what I mean by that culture there. We just got to make sure these guys stay mentally – stay positive with each other, stay positive during the week. Bottom line is just go out and have fun and play.”
Sounds to me like Andre Cisco’s postgame comments aren’t far off. To answer the question, yes. It’s too late.
From Stringfellow Hawke — Does anyone know if Shad Kahn shown any indication of how hot Doug’s seat is?
“I still believe in them,” Khan said in an exclusive interview with the Florida-Times Union. “I believe in the players, I believe in the coaching staff. I believe in Trent. Obviously, the results are disappointing for all of them, just as well as me or any other Jaguar fan, but, the key thing one has to understand [is] we have evolved and really got to a level. I think we’ve got the players, we’ve got the coaching, we’ve got the facilities.”
So, while Pederson’s seat might be steaming behind the scenes, Khan has publicly re-expressed confidence in the Jaguars’ top brass.
From ReformedGamer3 — Why does Shad hate the fans?
Shad does not hate the fans. I’ve never met the man but I can promise you he wants to win. He simply isn’t very good at making football hiring decisions.
From /-\ /\/ |) \,/ — Should Trevor call his own plays? Why not?
He should not, as that would be putting far too much on his plate. Even Tom Brady or Peyton Manning would be overwhelmed by being both the starting quarterback and full-time playcaller. That said, I do think the Jaguars should give Lawrence the option to audible into a different play whenever he wants.
From Hunter P Stevens — Is Trevor capable of holding his teammates accountable for their lack of focus when it’s Gametime?
I don’t think I can really answer this question having not been on Jacksonville’s sidelines during games. But to me, it’s silly to question Lawrence’s leadership skills after his receivers dropped 4 touchdowns on Sunday. Would it really make you happier to see a broadcast clip of him screaming into his teammates’ faces? It would make me happy to see his receivers matching his performance so that we don’t have to question his leadership at all.
From Boris — Is it time to replace Devin Lloyd? I don’t care what the advanced stats may say, he’s constantly out of position and getting beat
I don’t disagree. If Foye Oluokun returns from injured reserve soon and Ventrell Miller continues to play relatively lights-out, I would not be surprised if Lloyd found himself on the trade block — hello, Seattle — or at least out of the starting rotation.
From Jim Mahoney — Why is Cisco still on this roster? He can’t cover, can’t tackle…..
Cisco has had as many missed tackles and coverage mishaps as anyone on Jacksonville’s defense, but he’s also a respected locker room leader and always plays his tail off. He’s also shown really impressive flashes in the past and may be a bit nicked up right now. Tashaun Gipson Sr. will be removed from the NFL’s suspension list this week; if he were to replace a starting safety, I’d expect it to be second-year pro Antonio Johnson rather than Cisco.
From Ray Duzon — Why we hire this DC from Atlanta when falcons weren’t that great last year…why we not blitz a rookie QB more in this game..defense not that great IMO
Ryan Nielsen’s defense in Atlanta last year was more productive than the roster talent indicated. The Falcons were in a lot of close games because of Nielsen’s unit. I still believe that what he showed in 2024 made him a fine candidate to replace Mike Caldwell as Jaguars defensive coordinator. Obviously, what he’s shown in 2025 does not bring the same conclusions. It’s especially damning that, as Ray mentioned, Nielsen chose not to blitz a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams more often to make him uncomfortable. Like Pederson, Nielsen is not putting his players in the best positions to succeed.
From Kevin Tapee — Is it too early for draft talk? Head coaching candidates?
It is not. I’d keep my eye on offensive tackle prospects Will Campbell, Emery Jones Jr. and Kelvin Banks and head coach candidates Ben Johnson, Joe Brady and Todd Monken.
From Mark Thomas — When do we offer Ben Johnson the HC/OC job???
Mid-to-late January, if it happens.
From Dorian Maurice Tacker — If you was the owner of the team, how would you “fix” this team right now?
There is no way for the Jaguars to be fixed right now, especially from the owner’s perspective. Maybe firing Pederson midseason would help mitigate long-term damage but I would wait until the end of the season and fully clean house. Until then, I’d be talking to as many NFL people as possible to learn about suitable HC and GM candidates for 2025.
From Kevin Peffer — How much more of this do we have to take? Why does our team look so woefully unprepared, game after game, season after season? Why are we always the ones getting pushed around?
From Mark Engle — Does it appear to anyone else there is no fire in this team? No emotion whatsoever from the coaches.
The common expectation is that Jacksonville will target a young offensive genius type as its next head coach, considering the presence of Lawrence. But perhaps Khan should target more of a CEO type, a la Mike Tomlin or Dan Campbell, to bring the fire and emotion that this team needs to be the one finally pushing others around.
From Deborah Cossano — When are they moving to England
At the 2025 NFL owners meeting on Tuesday, Jacksonville’s “Stadium of the Future” proposal is expected to clear its final barrier of approval. The Jaguars will be playing in Duval County for the next decade-plus.
From Bill Thomas — Yes, how can a multimillion dollar organization be run so poorly?
How could a clown show not be a joke?