Current NFL Network analyst and former fullback Michael Robinson’s playing career is perhaps best remembered for his time with the Seattle Seahawks, where he won Super Bowl XLVIII. But he began his career with the San Francisco 49ers, who he played for from 2006-09. During that time, Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke, who would eventually hold the same role for the 49ers, was the director of player personnel.
Robinson recounted his negative experience working with Baalke on Saturday on “Good Morning Football.”
“Now guys, I’ve got to preface my comments by saying Trent Baalke is the guy who cut me in San Francisco,” Robinson said. “I remember walking up to his office… Trent Baalke looking at me in my face and saying ‘You aren’t good enough to play in the National Football League. You’re a fourth-string running back and, at best, you’re a third-string fullback. Maybe you should go into scouting, you want to have a job?’ I was a 26, 27-year-old young man. Young in the National Football League, and I was p****d off.
“I went to a Pro Bowl, a Super Bowl. From a talent evaluator perspective — you can say what you want about my comments because he cut me — say what you want about Trent Baalke, but I just don’t think he’s a great talent evaluator. That’s just my personal opinion.”
Michael Robinson said this about Trent Baalke today on the NFL Network. His record as a team builder supports MRob’s statements and helps push confirmation on the rumors that he’s not a people person. This is what Shad Khan is protecting? pic.twitter.com/vLyf5KAM7r
— Dilla (@E_Dilla) January 29, 2022
As Robinson suggests, we should take his words with a grain of salt considering his issues with Baalke seem to extend into the personal realm. But at the same time, the way you treat players matters, and this seems to play into Baalke’s prior reputation and helps explain why he appears to be so disliked around the league.
Jacksonville’s head coaching search has apparently been held back by reticence to work with Baalke, and the Jaguars could be forced to make a change to hire their first choice of coach, which is apparently Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.
Baalke’s fate is to be determined, but public comments like this certainly don’t paint him in the most sympathetic light.