How Important Was Familiarity For Jaguars' FA Process?

How important was it for the Jacksonville Jaguars to target free agents they had familiarity with? general manager James Gladstone explained.

May 21, 2024, Thousand Oaks, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Hunter Long (84) wears a Guardian helmet cap during organized team activities at Cal Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone was hired only a few weeks before the start of free agency, but that mattered little for the first-time general manager.

A big reason why? Because Gladstone had already worked with head coach Liam Coen previously with the Los Angeles Rams, setting the Jaguars up for a seamless transition in the front office.

The Jaguars hit the ground running in free agency as a result, with the tandem adding nine players on the first day of legal tampering. Adding offensive tackle Fred Johnson this week officially made it 10 new additions this offseason.

For a completely new leadership group that has been together for around a month so far, that is quite the busy offseason. But the chemistry at the top of the Jaguars' leadership group led to a smoothly-run free agency period, with Coen and Gladstone signing several players either they or someone on the coaching staff had ties with.

Among those included are offensive lineman Robert Hainsey, tight ends Johnny Mundt and Hunter Long, and backup quarterback Nick Mullens. Coen coached Hainsey in Tampa Bay and Munt in Los Angeles; Gladstone was with the Rams for Mundt's and Long's tenures with the team; and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski coached both Mundt and Mullens with the Minnesota Vikings.

In short, the Jaguars' free agency class certainly didn't lack in familiarity -- and it seems like this was a concentrated effort.

Gladstone spoke on Jaguars Happy Hour after free agency and made a point to explain why these previous ties were so important during the first wave of free agency.

"Yeah, without a doubt that familiarity plays a major role, and it was a part of why we sort of tilted in favor of some players over another," Gladstone said.

"Because at the same time, while those players on their own have familiarity, it also allows another voice, another player in the room with everybody else of their position group, to be able to sort of bring to life some nuances outside of just a position coach, a coordinator, the head coach, making mention of different elements that come along with this system. And so that definitely played a major role, and I think that was reflected in a number of the decisions that we made. And seems fairly logical at where we're at, for sure."

The Jaguars will continue to add to their roster in the coming weeks and months, and it makes sense to heavily weigh previous ties when examining which players those might be.

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