Just in time to hit the NFL Scouting Combine running, the Jacksonville Jaguars have found their new general manager.
James Gladstone, the Los Angeles Rams' director of college scouting, has been hired as the new general manager of the Jaguars, the team announced on Friday.
Gladstone, 34, emerged from a quintet of finalists that also included Jaguars interim GM Ethan Waugh, Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and San Francisco 49ers exec Josh Williams.
"It's my honor to introduce James Gladstone as the new general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars," Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a statement.
"James emerged as my choice, and our choice, following a painstaking but energizing interview process that left nothing to doubt. Every candidate delivered, and I am grateful to them all for their preparation and time spent with us this week in Jacksonville. In the end, we found James to be a class ahead and exceptional in every regard -- vision, new ideas, communication, chemistry and a keen understanding of the league and our team, to name a few of many virtues he will bring immediately to the Jaguars. It's going to be fun watching James work with our football leadership team of Liam Coen, Tony Boselli and Tony Khan, but most of all it will be rewarding. I am confident of that.
"This is also an occasion to thank Jaguars fans everywhere for their support and faith over the years. I know we can count on them to warmly welcome James to Duval while rallying behind our organization and team as we chart a new and promising path forward."
Gladstone will officially succeed Trent Baalke, who Khan and the Jags parted ways with on Jan. 22 -- weeks after Doug Pederson was fired as head coach in the wake of a 4-13 season. Since Baalke's exit, the Jaguars hired Liam Coen as their head coach, with Tony Boselli, newly minted as the team's executive vice president of football operations, aiding in the search that landed Gladstone.
Khan has previously stated that Coen, Boselli and the new GM would each report to him. However, it bears monitoring just how the Jaguars' hierarchy shakes out with Gladstone being the last to get a seat at the decision-making table. He'll need to move quickly with the combine taking place in Indianapolis in the coming week.
Gladstone's rise has come on the strength of the Rams' recent draft success.
Having spent the past eight seasons with the Rams, Gladstone's last four years have seen him operate with the title of director of scouting strategy. He's played an instrumental role in stellar 2023 and '24 draft classes for Los Angeles, which boast 2023 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Puka Nacua and 2024 AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and DROTY nominees Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner. All told, the Rams' last two draft classes have produced 13 players who have started at least one game, despite having just one first-rounder (Verse).
A crucial cog in leading the Rams' transition from their eff-them-picks approach to drafting and developing, Gladstone will now take on the task of leading the Jaguars to building a winner.
He's risen up the ranks and now is taking the reins of the Jaguars with the aim of turning the franchise around and wrapping up a thus-far tumultuous offseason.
