Jaguars reportedly make decision on new GM

The Jaguars are hiring Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone as their next general manager, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The team confirmed the hire via social media, and Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement calling Gladstone “exceptional in every regard,” per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Gladstone will become the youngest general manager in the league at 34 years old. He was previously a high school coach in St. Louis before being hired by Rams general manager Les Snead. Gladstone has spent the last eight years in Los Angeles including the last four as director of scouting strategy.

The Rams consistently hit on their draft picks in Gladstone’s tenure despite trading away most of their first-round picks. He will hope to bring that success to Jacksonville, who had an inconsistent drafting record under Trent Baalke. The Jaguars currently hold the fifth overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving Gladstone a chance to add an elite prospect with his first pick as GM.

Snead may look to an internal promotion to replace Gladstone in Los Angeles. Candidates could include director of data and analytics Jake Temme and scouting strategist Nicole Blake, per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

Gladstone was not considered a front-runner for the Jaguars’ GM job when the team first requested to interview him, partially because he was not considered for any of the other vacancies this hiring cycle. He impressed team decision-makers enough in his first interview to earn a second, solidifying him as a finalist for the job in Jacksonville. Now, he will team up with new head coach Liam Coen in an effort to rebuild the team after a 4-13 showing in 2024.

The Jaguars’ GM vacancy was the last to be filled of this year’s hiring cycle, so Gladstone will have to move quickly to prepare the roster for free agency. Jacksonville currently has just under $40M in cap space but could create another $35M of room by moving on from Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Josh Reynolds. Reynolds made just one catch in 2024 and won’t be worth his $4.26M cap hit next season. Kirk and Engram both played well in 2022 and 2023 but experienced a downtick in production last year before going down with season-ending injuries. They represent the team’s two biggest cap hits in 2025, so the new regime may prefer to cut ties rather than extend players they didn’t originally sign.

Gladstone beat out a number of veteran executives for the GM role in Jacksonville in what Khan called “a painstaking but energizing interview process.” Below is a full list of their candidates:

Chad Alexander, assistant general manager (Chargers): Interviewed 2/13

Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed 2/13; strong contender?

Trey Brown, senior personnel executive (Bengals): Interviewed 2/12

Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Conducted second interview 2/19

James Gladstone, scouting director (Rams): Hired

Terrance Gray, vice president of player personnel (Bills): Interviewed 2/12

Mike Greenberg, assistant general manager (Buccaneers): Declined interview

Champ Kelly, assistant general manager (Raiders): Interviewed 2/14

Jon Robinson, former general manager (Titans): One of top candidates?; Interviewed 2/13

Jon-Eric Sullivan, vice president of player personnel (Packers): Conducted second interview 2/20

Ethan Waugh, interim general manager (Jaguars): Strong candidate?; Interviewed 2/20

Josh Williams, director of scouting and football operations (49ers): Conducted second interview 2/19