The Jacksonville Jaguars have tabbed former Los Angeles Rams executive James Gladstone to be the team’s new general manager the club announced Friday.
Gladstone spent the last 9 seasons with the Rams organization in a variety of roles, most recently serving as the team’s director of scouting strategy. Jaguars owner Shad Khan made the hiring official by releasing a team statement late Friday afternoon.
“James emerged as my choice, and our choice, following a painstaking but energizing interview process that left nothing to doubt,” Khan said. “Every candidate delivered, and I am grateful to them all for their preparation and time spent with us this week in Jacksonville. In the end, we found James to be a class ahead and exceptional in every regard — vision, new ideas, communication, chemistry and a keen understanding of the league and our team, to name a few of many virtues he will bring immediately to the Jaguars. It’s going to be fun watching James work with our football leadership team of [head coach] Liam Coen, [executive VP of football operations] Tony Boselli and [chief football strategy officer] Tony Khan, but most of all it will be rewarding. I am confident of that.”
“This is also an occasion to thank Jaguars fans everywhere for their support and faith over the years. I know we can count on them to warmly welcome James to Duval while rallying behind our organization and team as we chart a new and promising path forward.”
New head coach Liam Coen is familiar with Gladstone given their overlapping time spent in Los Angeles, which should make the transition to the new era in Jacksonville rather seamless. The 34 year old becomes one of the youngest General Managers in NFL history, as he replaces the fired Trent Baalke in Duval.
With a new general manager in place , the Jaguars’ executive trio of Gladstone, Coen and Tony Boselli all find themselves in their respective roles for the first time at the NFL level. This abrupt change in leadership will either usher in a new period of on field success for Jacksonville, or serve as a cautionary tale of “too much, too fast, too soon” inside the notorious old boys clubs of NFL owners.
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