Seven months after being fired, former San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke has a new job. The NFL has hired Baalke as Football Operations Consultant, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
NFL hired former 49ers GM Trent Baalke as Football Operations Consultant, per sources. Will handle a variety of roles for the NFL.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2017
The 49ers fired Baalke just prior to the team's final game of the 2016 season and officially announced his departure on January 1. Baalke had officially served as the team's general manager from the 2011 season through the 2016 season. Prior to the team's final game of last season, a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium, Baalke confirmed that he had been fired.
Baalke was part of a house cleaning that saw the team fire the general manager and head coach Chip Kelly. Baalke was replaced with John Lynch while Kelly was replaced with Kyle Shanahan.
Baalke started his tenure with the 49ers in 2005 as their Western Region Scout. In March of 2010, the 49ers terminated the contract of then general manager Scot McCloughan, leaving Baalke to head the draft during the following month. He briefly served as the vice president of player personnel for the 49ers before being promoted to general manager following the firing of head coach Mike Singletary.
Baalke was joined by head coach Jim Harbaugh and the two saw success together. Baalke was even named Executive of the Year for the 2011 season after receiving credit for transforming the 49ers from a 6-10 team into a 13-3 team in his first season as general manager.