Trent Baalke was once praised as a solid NFL General Manager. While Baalke is very talented in some regards — such as stacking draft picks — he has not done so well in other areas — for example, holding on to a great coach and actually drafting the right players. The roster he was in charge of during the San Francisco 49ers stretch of NFC Championship appearances was largely built by his predecessor, Scot McCloughan, who is now doing a phenomenal job for the Washington Redskins.
Baalke’s friendship allowed him to keep his job this season, but not even that will help him stick around if the 49ers roster does not deliver in 2016.