Why Coen Thinks Gladstone Hire Will Help Jaguars' Process

Why does Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen think the hiring of general manager Liam Coen will impact the team

The Jacksonville Jaguars introduce General Manager James Gladstone, left, Monday morning February 24, 2025 at the Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla. as he listens to Head Coach Liam Coen during the press conference. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]2025 | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

New Jacksonville Jaguars general manager James Gladstone is going to be expected to hit the ground running in his first offseason -- even more so than his other first-year general manager peers.

A former top lieutenant in the Los Angeles Rams' front office along esteemed general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay, Gladstone was hired just a few days before the start of the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.

The final general manager hired during the 2024 process, Gladstone's introductory press conference was just a little over 24 hours before he took a podium in Indianapolis to represent the Jaguars.

But there is one thing working in Gladstone's favor that suggests he can expedite the onboarding process in Jacksonville: his relationship with Jaguars head coach Liam Coen.

Speaking with Jaguars.com from the combine, Coen explained why his past relationship with Gladsone will benefit the Jaguars.

"Especially with where we are right now, having to onboard an entire new offense, defense, special teams is going to be a little bit of a more of a mainstay, new strength and conditioning. There's a lot of different things happening," Coen said.

"Well, when you have already a bridge that James and I do already have, it helps us tremendously. Just the way that we communicate, the what we're looking for in so many different players and what we're trying to bring into this organization, that helps us tremendously that we already have some of those things in place."

The Jaguars have had past issues with their front office and coaching staffs rowing in different directions when it came to player personnel and how to deploy certain players.

The last Jaguars staff was very involved with the draft process, but that doesn't mean every rookie was brought to speed in terms of development as quickly as each side thought.

With Gladstone and Coen already having a working relationship from their time with the Rams, the hope is these kind of miscommunications can be bypassed completely.

"And then, hey, once we get to it, you never want to bring somebody into the organization that either the coach or the personnel department did not want, right?" Coen said.

"It cannot be lopsided that way, because the player won't have a chance. So we're trying to bring guys in that we can onboard into this organization that everybody wanted and that we can all be on the same page

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