3 Observations on Jaguars Kicking Off GM Search

A few weeks after moving on from former general manager Trent Baalke, the Jacksonville Jaguars have officially kicked off their search for a new leader of the front office.

The Jaguars requested five different candidates for interviews on Monday: New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown; Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg; Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham; Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown; and Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander.

So, what do we make of the early group of names and of the search finally beginning? We break it down below.

Why the search is starting now

The Jaguars were never in any rush to conduct a general manager search due to the timelines on other searches in the NFL. The Raiders and Jets found their general managers not long after the Jaguars moved on from Trent Baalke, which meant the Jaguars really had zero compeition for the role around the league.

As to why the search is starting now and not last week, it truly seems like the Jaguars wanted to both give Liam Coen a chance to hit the ground running in terms of putting together his staff as well as give Tony Boselli a chance to officially take on his title so that all candidates knew what the structure in Jacksonville would be.

The list could expand

The Jaguars don't need to add anyone else to their interview list to make them compliant with any league rules, but it would not be shocking to see the Jaguars expand the group by a few names. The Jaguars don't need to make any official requests to interview candidates who are not currently with a team, which means a guy like former Tennessee Titans general manager could potentially still be in the cards even if his name was not reported with the original five.

The reason I bring up Robinson's name is because Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer seemed confident in his chances to at least be in the conversation. Robinson would not be a sexy hire by any means, but it would be far from surprising to see his name or somebody else's added to this group before it is all set and done.

Jaguars looking at several different GM archetypes

The Jaguars deserve credit for the kinds of names they are looking at so far. The last time the Jaguars held a general manager search, their candidate list was uh ... far from strong. Not to rag on anyone, but you can see the difference in the list of candidates here. From our vantage point, it is a staggering one.

In this year's candidates, the Jaguars have a healthy mix of experience, such as with Alexander, and youth. They are looking at guys who have been in several different successful front offices, multiple candidates with connections to the Eagles and Ravens, and are looking at both scout-type general managers and cap management ones. It is an impressive strategy.

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