James Gladstone Hire Could Take Jaguars to New Heights

The Jaguars made a brilliant move with their front office, hiring James Gladstone to be their GM

New Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen fields questions from media after speaking and being introduced during a press conference next to owner Shad Khan 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

Shad Khan and Liam Coen. The two biggest voices within the Jaguars organization. They need to be susinct with their vision for the franchise and they needed a general manager who could make that vision a reality. They were only going to get that with James Gladstone and thus it was the right decision to hire him.

No offense to the other candidates but Gladstone is one of the best team builders in the NFL. Assembling an NFL roster is both a science and an art. It's not just about finding the best players but the players who are not only the best at what they do but the best fit for the team.

That fit goes far beyond scheme. It's about fit within the team unit, in the locker room and as a representative of the Jaguars.

Gladstone has proven he can identify those players with jaw dropping success. The reason Rams GM Les Snead still has a job is in large part to Gladstone. Snead's "f them picks" mentality did win the Rams a Super Bowl but the following season was a disaster with departures everywhere.

Just ask Coen, he was one of those departures.

Snead was about to undertake a rebuild so massive, prior projects have ended tenures of Snead's colleagues. Snead rebuilt the Rams in one year due to a phenomenal drafting record, a record achieved through Gladstone's work as the Rams Director of College Scouting.

Gladstone has discovered day three/ UDFA gems like Puka Nacua, Quentin Lake, Jaylen McCollough, Beaux Limmer, Alaric Jackson, Kyren Williams and more.

Gladstone played a massive role in the Rams selecting Kobie Turner and Byron Young in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. They finished first and second in NFL rookie sacks. Braden Fiske was the rookie leader in 2024 and Jared Verse won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Gladstone's work on those men allowed the Rams to move on from Aaron Donald with minimal issue. That's the production of a generational player replaced in under six months.

Whatever Coen's vision is, Gladstone can get him the players to achieve it, to set a tone, a culture in the locker room and most importantly, Gladstone gets players who win. If the Jaguars are to win a Super Bowl, it will be due to Gladstone.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE