When Trent Baalke hit the free agency market in 2024, he didn't just miss-he whiffed so hard the Jaguars are still spinning. Armed with cap space and job security he didn't deserve, Baalke handed out bloated contracts like candy on Halloween. He landed a collection of has-beens, never-weres, and walking injuries.
By the time the dust settled on a 4-13 disaster, his prized additions had racked up more excuses than highlights. Baalke had somehow managed to spend like a contender while building a bottom-five roster. His final act? A clown show in teal and black.
Trent Baalke
Trent Baalke
Corey Perrine / Florida Times-Union
The $130 Million Implosion
Trent Baalke's 2024 free agent class was supposed to plug holes and elevate the team back to being a playoff-caliber roster. Instead, it became a bloated mess that did little more than drag the team backward. With over $130 million spent and $75 million guaranteed, Baalke's final haul was less reinforcement and more a wrecking ball.
Take Arik Armstead, for example. Signed to anchor the defensive line, he finished the season with two sacks, both of which came in games the Jags lost by double digits. His most notable contribution? Back-to-back offside penalties that extended a Las Vegas Raiders drive in a one-score game. Baalke paid $43.5 million for that.
Then there was Gabe Davis, the alleged "deep threat" who caught 20 balls before a nagging knee injury mercifully ended his 2024 season. If Baalke's vision was to replace Marvin Jones with invisible production, mission accomplished.
Baalke's fascination with former names continued in the secondary. Ronald Darby, once a serviceable starter, quickly devolved into one of the lowest-rated corners in the NFL. After a few brutal outings, he was benched and eventually made inactive-earning millions to watch from the sidelines.
Darnell Savage, brought in to bring "range and versatility" to the safety group, brought neither. Limited by injuries and outperformed by Andrew Wingard and fifth-round rookie Antonio Johnson, Savage became the poster child for Baalke's habit of falling in love with speed over substance.
Special teams would not be spared either. Devin Duvernay, signed for his return ability, managed a career-worst 8.9 yards per punt return and looked hesitant every time he touched the ball. His offensive impact was basically nonexistent-unless you count jet sweeps that went nowhere.
On paper, Mitch Morse was a smart, stabilizing addition to a young offensive line. In reality, he was just another warm body. The run game sputtered, short-yardage plays routinely failed, and Morse was flagged often enough to kill his own drives. If he stabilized anything, it was the Jaguars' ranking at the bottom of the league in third-and-short conversions.
Legacy of a Clown Show
By season's end, none of Baalke's six marquee signings had made a meaningful impact. The team finished 4-13, Doug Pederson was fired, and Baalke finally got shown the door. But the damage lingers-so does the dead cap. The Jaguars enter 2025 with one of the highest dead money totals in the league and not a single 2024 free agent worth keeping around or re-signing.
Only Arik Armstead and Darnell Savage remain from this circus of a free agent class. Neither is anywhere close to locks to make the roster and could very easily be moved on from. That's not bad luck. That's malpractice.
The Final Insult
As if botching free agency wasn't enough for Clownke, he left behind one other gift: a massive contract extension for Trevor Lawrence, Duval's Golden Giraffe. Reportedly worth over $275 million, with more than $175 million guaranteed. The timing? Right before the underwhelming quarterback posted the worst season of his NFL career, plagued by turnovers, injuries, and a complete lack of chemistry with anyone on offense, including rookie phenom Brian Thomas Jr., the Jaguars are locked into a quarterback they hope can finally develop into an at least average quarterback.
Baalke didn't just fail to fix the Jaguars - he tied an anchor around their necks with the blasphemous contract extension to The Golden Giraffe, aka Trevor Lawrence, and walked away. If this was his grand finale, it wasn't just a clown show. It was sabotage.