The Jaguars are hiring Rams director of scouting technique James Gladstone as their subsequent basic supervisor, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
The group confirmed the rent via social media, and Jaguars proprietor Shad Khan launched a press release calling Gladstone “distinctive in each regard,” per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Gladstone will change into the youngest basic supervisor within the league at 34 years previous. He was beforehand a highschool coach in St. Louis earlier than being employed by Rams basic supervisor Les Snead. Gladstone has spent the final eight years in Los Angeles together with the final 4 as director of scouting technique.
The Rams constantly hit on their draft picks in Gladstone’s tenure regardless of buying and selling away most of their first-round picks. He’ll hope to convey that success to Jacksonville, who had an inconsistent drafting report underneath Trent Baalke. The Jaguars at the moment maintain the fifth general choice within the 2025 NFL Draft, giving Gladstone an opportunity so as to add an elite prospect along with his first choose as GM.
Snead could look to an inner promotion to exchange Gladstone in Los Angeles. Candidates may embrace director of information and analytics Jake Temme and scouting strategist Nicole Blake, per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
Gladstone was not thought-about a front-runner for the Jaguars’ GM job when the team first requested to interview him, partially as a result of he was not thought-about for any of the opposite vacancies this hiring cycle. He impressed group decision-makers sufficient in his first interview to earn a second, solidifying him as a finalist for the job in Jacksonville. Now, he’ll group up with new head coach Liam Coen in an effort to rebuild the group after a 4-13 exhibiting in 2024.
The Jaguars’ GM emptiness was the final to be crammed of this 12 months’s hiring cycle, so Gladstone must transfer shortly to organize the roster free of charge company. Jacksonville at the moment has slightly below $40M in cap house however may create one other $35M of room by transferring on from Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Josh Reynolds. Reynolds made only one catch in 2024 and gained’t be value his $4.26M cap hit subsequent season. Kirk and Engram each performed properly in 2022 and 2023 however skilled a downtick in manufacturing final 12 months earlier than taking place with season-ending accidents. They symbolize the group’s two greatest cap hits in 2025, so the brand new regime could favor to chop ties quite than lengthen gamers they didn’t initially signal.
Gladstone beat out a lot of veteran executives for the GM position in Jacksonville in what Khan referred to as “a painstaking however energizing interview course of.” Under is a full checklist of their candidates:
- Chad Alexander, assistant basic supervisor (Chargers): Interviewed 2/13
- Brandon Brown, assistant basic supervisor (Giants): Interviewed 2/13; strong contender?
- Trey Brown, senior personnel govt (Bengals): Interviewed 2/12
- Ian Cunningham, assistant basic supervisor (Bears): Conducted second interview 2/19
- James Gladstone, scouting director (Rams): Hired
- Terrance Grey, vice chairman of participant personnel (Payments): Interviewed 2/12
- Mike Greenberg, assistant basic supervisor (Buccaneers): Declined interview
- Champ Kelly, assistant basic supervisor (Raiders): Interviewed 2/14
- Jon Robinson, former basic supervisor (Titans): One of top candidates?; Interviewed 2/13
- Jon-Eric Sullivan, vice chairman of participant personnel (Packers): Conducted second interview 2/20
- Ethan Waugh, interim basic supervisor (Jaguars): Strong candidate?; Interviewed 2/20
- Josh Williams, director of scouting and soccer operations (49ers): Conducted second interview 2/19
