Insider Sounds Off on Jaguars GM Search

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the lone team in the NFL still looking for their front office leader. And by this time next week, the Jaguars should have their answer.

But what is the state of the Jaguars' search as it stands today? That is the question posed by Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

"There is one big job still open in the NFL, that's the Jaguars general manager job. Ian Cunningham, the Assistant General Manager from Chicago, is interviewing with the Jaguars today. I picked him out as a leading candidate a couple of weeks ago. I told you, really, when this process started, that I thought there were two candidates that stuck out. One was Ian Cunningham, the others, Jon Robinson, but there have been a bunch of other guys that have gone through there over the last few days," Breer said.

"Terence Gray, well-respected director of player personnel from Buffalo, was a finalist in Tennessee. He's a guy to watch. Brandon Brown, the assistant GM with the Giants, he interviewed there as well. Trey Brown, senior personnel executive from the Bengals. They've talked to a bunch of different guys over Zoom this week."

So far, the Jaguars have talked to almost double-digit candidates -- this includes interim general manager Ethan Waugh, who is set to be among the finalists for the position.

The Jaguars are expected to make a general manager hire at some point late next week, giving them a chance to have the candidate in place ahead of the start of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

"They want to get this wrapped up before the combine. They are obviously behind a lot of other teams when it comes to, you know, where they are in the process not having a general manager this close to the combine," Breer said.

"I would say one thing to watch for the Jaguars job -- they've got a 52-year-old first-time executive in Tony Boselli as kind of the overseer of this over the top, their their hall of fame offensive tackle from the 90s. They've got a first time head coach in Liam Coen, a very young first time head coach in Liam Coen, who was the offensive coordinator at Kentucky a year ago. Do you want to have another first time guy in there, or do you want to bring some experience into the general manager position?"

The question for the Jaguars is who could be the best fit in a franchise that has hit the reset button this offseason? They have a first-time head coach in Liam Coen and a first-time front office executive in new EVP Tony Boselli.

"And that's, I think, the question. When you, when you look at Ian Cunningham, and you look at Jon Robinson, two different sides of the spectrum. On one end, you've got Jon Robinson, who's got the experience and the know how, having done it, he's been in the division. He was there as the General Manager of the Titans," Breer said.

"On the other end, you got Ian Cunningham, who doesn't have the experience, but has the pedigree. And you go through where he's been. He was at the Ravens, he came up in the Ravens system. He was one of Ozzie Newsome's guys. His first big job in Baltimore was as the southeast area scout. Everybody who knows the Ravens organization knows that Ozzie Newsome does not give that job to just anybody. Ozzie Newsome, of course, is an Alabama guy. "

"He is not handing Alabama's area to any scout. He's handing it to a guy that he thinks is a rising scout in his system. And that's what Ian Cunningham was. Ian then goes to Philadelphia, works under Howie Roseman, got to see it done with Joe Douglas and Andrew Berry as the directors there. So he got to see that. And then over the last three years, he's worked in Chicago as a true number two guy who's involved in every part, every facet of of the operation in Chicago. So he is ready, but he doesn't have the experience. He has the pedigree, but he doesn't have the experience. So those two guys -- I am not saying one of those two guys will definitely get it, but those are two strong candidates, and you're getting two pretty different things with those two guys. We'll see how that all plays out."

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.