COLUMN: James Gladstone Is Right Hire for the Jaguars

The hiring of Gladstone puts the previous regime in the rearview mirror and gives the Jacksonville Jaguars a glimpse of hope.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan laugs during a press conference Monday, Jan. 27, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars announced on Friday the hiring of Los Angeles Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone as the newest general manager of the franchise, becoming the successor to the embattled Trent Baalke.

Gladstone was a part of five finalist for the job that included Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, interim general manager Ethan Waugh, and Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan.

All were uniquely qualified for the job but in the end, it was the younger Gladstone that made the biggest impression and reunites with head coach Liam Coen, the former Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator who was a big part of both team's successes over the last two seasons.

Gladstone has been a key front office piece in the Rams' ascension of their young roster. Los Angeles has been going with a "draft and develop" approach that has translated into success in the last two seasons with postseason berths and a deep playoff run this past season. Gladstone made the argument for the team to draft Florida State defensive tackle Braden Fiske with their second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Rams released behind the scenes footage of their trade up in Round 2 (52 to 39, while giving up a 2025 2nd round pick)

to select Florida State iDL Braden Fiske... Tony Pastoors and James Gladstone alongside Les Snead and Sean McVay pic.twitter.com/3J8bQsclfk

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) June 4, 2024

This is a terrific hire by the Jaguars for a few reasons: his youth, understanding of talent and value of the players he evaluates in both free agency and the draft, and bringing a fresh new attitude to the front office that has seen some change this offseason.

Gladstone, 34, is among the youngest general managers in NFL history. The league is considered a "young man's game," and it applies to a coaching staff or front office. Having a young GM helps with player connectivity, especially in the offseason when closing in on who to draft or sign in free agency.

We've seen a few general managers under 50 have relative success with their current team whether it's Andrew Berry or Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. These are people who are comfortable with change and aren't stubborn to specific traits, types, or any little thing a player possesses on their film. Gladstone is one of those people.

The biggest thing about Gladstone isn't is he's not Baalke and Coen is not Doug Pederson. The environment on the roster between the players, coaches, and front office personnel was not healthy with Baalke's reputation and Pederson placing blame on his players on full blast instead of taking accountability for a team's performance himself.

Gladstone's part in bringing in one of the better first-year draft classes in recent memory based on impact makes this hiring an exciting one. He'll have a basis for what he wants in his players and the types of talent he wants to add on both sides of the ball through the draft. The McVay-Snead tree has seen success as of late and the duo of Jacksonville's newest GM and coach translate to almost immediate success in northeast Florida.

Of course, this may all become a complete failure and force owner Shad Khan to completely re-evaluate his place in the organization or as the owner of the Jaguars. However, it doesn't feel like this will come to fruition.

Gladstone still has plenty to prove but his background with the Rams and his connection with Coen could provide Jacksonville some stability for the long-term, something fans have longed for since the team's glory days in their early years.

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