Meet the Former Student Activities Director Who Could Become Les Snead’s 2nd GM

James Gladstone could follow Detroit's Brad Holmes as Snead's next GM this week

Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Lions and Rams own two of the most talented young rosters in the NFL. The general managers who assembled those rosters, Brad Holmes in Detroit and Les Snead in Los Angeles, learned a lot from a former high school student activities director.

That former student activities director, Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone, is also a future general manager.

One of five GM finalists who’ll interview this week with the Jaguars, he’s the only one who’s previously worked with new Jaguars head coach Liam Coen. Gladstone was in his role when Coen served as Rams offensive coordinator in 2022.

Gladstone was also in his role as the Rams went seven years without a first-round pick, won Super Bowl LVI in 2021, and retooled a roster that now includes Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse. And if he leaves for Jacksonville, Gladstone would join Holmes as the second NFL GM who’s worked under Snead.

Exactly what Gladstone does for the Rams in his unique role is a bit of a mystery. But because the results have produced draft choices such as Verse, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, Byron Young and Kamren Kinchens, no one cares.

No one, that is, except Snead. The Rams’ general manager met Gladstone in 2016, the team’s last year in St. Louis. Gladstone was the head coach at Clayton High School with a roster that included Snead’s son, Logan.

Perhaps Snead revealed how Gladstone helps the Rams in a 2022 interview with former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff – featured on LinkedIn, of all places.

"Intentional evolution should be a focus of all of those GMs,” Snead told Dimitroff. “Knowing exactly why we've been doing something. Why are we doing it? Is it efficient enough? Is it actually helping us? Is it actually slowing us? Is it bogging us down? Intentionally investigate, review, know the why."

Knowing why Gladstone with his vest and hooded sweatshirt, khaki pants, Nikes and coffee, would fit well into Jacksonville’s new culture is a decision the Jaguars will make this week. And if so, expect some intentional evolution in Duval County.

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