Trent Baalke, who’s been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2005 and served as general manager since 2011, doesn’t talk with the media very often. That was true during the successful Jim Harbaugh era and has not changed since the “separation” and subsequent rebuilding efforts.
But Charles Johnson of Yahoo! Sports caught up with Trent Baalke in a recent interview to discuss the turmoil and uncertainty of recent 49er offseasons. One summer — the 2015 offseason — stands out as possibly the most disastrous in sports history. The 49ers messily parted ways with Harbaugh, who went 44-19-1 during the regular season and took the team to three NFC championship games and a Super Bowl in four dominant years.
“It felt like Muhammad Ali in the ‘Thrilla In Manila.’ Every time I came off the ropes, something else happened,” Baalke told Robinson
The rest of the “something else”: Pro-Bowlers Patrick Willis and Justin Smith retired, and linebacker Chris Borland followed them after just one season in the NFL, citing injury concerns. Offensive lineman Anthony Davis also retired, although this would turn out to be just a one-year hiatus, and multiple players left the organization for greener pastures around the league. These free agency departures included 49er all-time leading rusher Frank Gore, guard Mike Iupati, and receiver Michael Crabtree.
But Baalke isn’t fazed by the cyclical nature of success and failure in sports. He told Robinson he takes his lessons as they come and tries to move on.
“You deal with it. Through the process you learn. You try to make adjustments so it doesn’t happen again. But some things are just unpredictable.”
Despite the rough stretch, Baalke sees better days ahead for a 49ers roster that is brimming with youth and potential. He said he tries to run the organization with the same pragmatism and patience that are the hallmarks of so many successful franchises across the history of American sports. What that really means is prioritizing one important roster-constructing method over all others: build through the draft.
“That’s historically what wins,” Baalke said. “It’s tough to buy championships in any sport [but] it’s damn near impossible in the National Football League. … We absolutely have a young core group of guys that are going to move into their second contracts here. And I think people will see that this year as it unfolds. The Aaron Lynchs. The Jimmie Wards. The Carlos Hydes. They’re good football players and they’re only going to get better.”
Those three names — all from the 2014 draft — are some that Baalke likely needs to deliver in order to avoid the hot seat. There are others, too: Arik Armstead looks like he’s going to be a starter for a long time alongside former Oregon teammate DeForest Buckner; safety Jaquiski Tartt and cornerback Will Redmond could join Jimmie Ward to form a promising group of defensive backs; young wide receivers like Bruce Ellington and DeAndre Smelter could also step up into a bigger role this season. Baalke’s hoping that this youth movement, which depends on potential and growth, will pay dividends in the long run and earn him some job security.