Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke denied rumors of a potential divide between him and head coach Doug Pederson on Thursday, but it doesn't seem like that storyline is going anywhere anytime soon.
"When you go through tough times, you find out a lot about a lot of people. The season didn’t end the way we wanted it to, we had some strong conversations throughout the year of where things were at and where things were trending," Baalke said.
"Great communication, great collaboration, and really respect him and everything that he does. A lot of what’s written, a lot of the narratives out there are just false. Plain and simple, false narratives.”
Even ignoring Baalke's past denials a decade ago about friction between him and former San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, Baalke didn't give glowing praise to the coaching staff on Thursday.
He mentioned issues with a lack of identity in all three phases, but primarily offense. He also mentioned issues with the Jaguars seeing through their visions for draft picks and how quickly they prepared rookies to play, which was a clear comment aimed at the coaching staff.
Why does all of this matter after the disappointing 9-8 finish in 2023? During an interview on 1010XL's 'Hacker After Dark' with host Ryan Green, the former Jaguars wide receiver gave a player's perspective on what a potential divide between the front office and coaching staff could mean.
"If these two guys can't get things -- put things aside and get things going, you're gonna divide the locker room because it starts up top," Shorts said. "So if your GM or your head coach aren't in agreement, then guys are gonna start taking sides. Guys are gonna start naturally taking sides to either or, and that is what destroys a team and destroys the organization, right?"
Baalke and Pederson worked well together in their first year together in 2022, and each has praised the other throughout the 2023 season. There is natural friction in working relationships, too, so any potential disagreements or divide wouldn't be exclusively a Jaguars issue.
But if the two most important non-players in the organization can't convince the fan base and others that they are on the same page moving forward, it could create an interesting dynamic heading into 2024.
"So it's gonna be big for these two guys to really sit down, like hack it out, whatever they got to do to get on the same page moving forward and be united moving forward for the sake of the team," Shorts said. "So they gotta get a hold of this now and be united moving forward."
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