Why James Gladstone’s 1st Jaguars Trade Shows Savvy Intellect

Sean McVay's message to rest of NFL: Don't sleep on James Gladstone.

Houston Texans cornerback Shaquill Griffin (0) pushes Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) out of bounds on a fourth quarter pass play for a first down. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Sunday, September 24, 2023. The Jaguars trailed 17 to 0 at the end of the first half and lost with a final score of 37-17. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union] / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK

James Gladstone is already playing chess with the rest of the NFL. The new general manager was two moves ahead on Wednesday when he informed Christian Kirk the Jaguars were planning to release him. But before submitting the paperwork, Gladstone’s phone rang.

By advertising their plans to release Kirk on Wednesday, the Jaguars were able to trade him on Thursday. They sent him to Houston for a seventh-round pick in 2026. The wideout is entering the final season of the four-year, $72 million deal he signed to join the Jaguars in 2022.

Secondly, Gladstone completed the trade by asking for the pick that he and Rams GM Les Snead had originally sent to Houston in 2024. Then the Rams’ director of scouting strategy, Gladstone sent their seventh-round choice in 2026 along with wide receiver Ben Skowronek to Houston in exchange for the Texans’ sixth-rounder in 2026.

Gladstone brought that former Rams selection to Jacksonville on Thursday, although the trade won’t become official until the new league year begins on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

One team isn’t surprised by Gladstone’s savvy intelligence. Rams head coach Sean McVay, who gave Liam Coen his first NFL coaching job with the Rams in 2018, said he’s not worried about Gladstone taking all his Rams players.

“Gladstone’s a stud, man,” McVay said Monday on the Pat McAfee Show. “Don’t sleep on Gladstone. I'll tell you what, this guy is a smart, sharp, articulate dude. Love the way he sees the game. He's got a great delivery. He's got this nice, patient, calm delivery. I said, ‘Man, I just want to listen to you talk.’ He's a great teacher. I'm fired up for James Gladstone. Congratulations to James. Go help Liam get this thing right in Jacksonville.”

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A future seventh-rounder might be insignificant but expect Gladstone to milk every drop of value. He's using a macro perspective, not approaching the draft with every pick under a microscope.

One of the reasons he joined the Jaguars was because Jacksonville is in the same situation Los Angeles enjoyed while he was there. Like the Rams the last two years, the Jaguars have the most draft capital in the league when combining both the 2025 and ’26 drafts. And that was before the Jaguars got the bonus pick for Kirk on Thursday.

Houston, meanwhile, has been mining the league for wide receivers. The Texans may not re-sign Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell is recovering from significant knee surgery that ended his 2024 campaign. Kirk is a strong addition to complement Nico Collins on the other side.

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