The Jacksonville Jaguars introduced James Gladstone as its new common supervisor final week. He’s already been busy with a number of media appearances, each in Jacksonville on the Miller Electrical Heart and in Indianapolis on the 2025 NFL Mix.
Gladstone’s team-building course of (and success) will finally be measured by his roster transactions. Nonetheless, there’s loads of new information from his first few public appearances as Jags GM.
Listed below are our high 4 observations.
Statement #1 — Coach’s Child
This isn’t your typical 34-year-old. If you see his face, you might suppose you’re taking a look at a 15-year-old Fortnite streamer. If you hear his voice, you might suppose you’re listening to a 50-year-old startup CEO.
Gladstone’s messages all through the week had been admirable, and his supply was simply as spectacular — particularly contemplating his inexperience relative to his friends.
Credit score to his mother and father. “They floor me,” Gladstone instructed Frank Frangie on 1010XL. “They’ve additionally offered such sound knowledge, such sound methods of pondering.”
The most recent Jaguars common supervisor had at all times seen himself following within the footsteps of his father, and his father’s father earlier than him, of changing into a highschool trainer and soccer coach.
“I truly walked into the occupation pondering that I used to be going to vary the panorama of bodily schooling,” Gladstone confessed to a scrum of native reporters in Indianapolis. “My first job, you guys wish to know what it’s? A librarian.”
The official title was Media & Literacy Coordinator, and he additionally taught management programs to freshmen and seniors. Then destiny confirmed up.
Gladstone needed to turn out to be the pinnacle coach (and ultimately, the athletic director) of the highschool his dad coached. He pivoted to affix his father at a special college when the latter got here out of retirement. “The identical day that I arrived on campus,” Gladstone mentioned at Monday’s introductory press convention, “Les Snead and [his son] Logan Snead arrived to enroll in our soccer program.”
The Snead household shortly fashioned a bond with Gladstone. They satisfied him to rethink his goals at the highschool degree and to return work for the Los Angeles Rams as an assistant underneath Les, their common supervisor.
“Les was someone I used to be drawn to,” Gladstone instructed Frangie. “He’s unapologetically himself, and he was someone that I felt like I might be taught from, someone that I actually needed to help. … [Les and his wife Kara] altered the trajectory of my life, and I’m eternally grateful for that, and it’s an expertise that I’ll carry ahead with me in my day-to-day right here on this position.”
It wasn’t a simple choice, however Gladstone knew probabilities like this don’t come round usually. “Studying from Les, supporting Les, just isn’t going to be a possibility that ever presents itself,” he mentioned on the scrum. “If it doesn’t work, I can revert again.”
It was a problem at first. Not as a result of he was out of his depth, however as a result of he wasn’t being fulfilled. Gladstone expanded in an interview with NFL Every day:
“I went from being a trainer — someone who identifies strengths and weaknesses in a person after which helps that particular person deal with these and develop — once I obtained into, then, the lens of scouting, you’re nonetheless addressing or highlighting, figuring out these strengths and weaknesses, however you’re not part of the expansion. And so initially, that was a void that I had not crammed after making a transition. And over time, I began to form the thought of scouting round, nicely, right here’s strengths and weaknesses inside a profile, right here’s strengths and weaknesses inside one other profile, or inside a bigger collective group, or a facet of the ball, or a crew, and pairing these collectively is the place I crammed that void. In order that’s my approach of serving to others — which can be enjoying for us — develop, by being paired with those that spotlight them in essentially the most complementary approach.”
He added on the scrum: “Engineering crew dynamics is actually the place I assist — or at the least, for my very own success, and what fills my cup, is seeing that come to life on the sector and folks stability one another out with strengths and weaknesses.”
Gladstone is definitely a coach’s child, however with how nicely he carries himself, instructions a room, fosters communication, and places his group earlier than himself, he’s simply as a lot a trainer’s child.
No marvel he compares himself to an offensive lineman.
“My dad raised me by means of the game of soccer, by means of his likeness, and that was an offensive lineman,” Gladstone defined on NFL Every day. “Actually, the thought of collective effort and being greater than anyone particular person, that’s the place soccer captured my coronary heart.”
Statement #2 — The Opp
Why did James Gladstone select to take the job?
“There’s lots of variables to that,” he instructed Frangie. “Les’ understanding of the shifting dynamics amongst the management group there [in Jacksonville] and understanding that mirrored the identical factor that exists in Los Angeles, together with understanding Liam Coen on a private degree and that he and I complement one another nicely, additionally performed its half. I feel these two issues had been most likely what weighed most, and it’s not one thing that Les and I ever mentioned beforehand. It was an natural, ‘Hey, I feel that is most likely the primary one which has proven itself the place it might be profitable and would by no means increase my hand to say that you need to assault it until I assumed it was.’”
Gladstone spent the previous 9 seasons with the Rams; Coen was there from 2018-2020 and 2022. They by no means shared the concept they’d be working an NFL crew collectively sometime, based on Gladstone, however the acquaintanceship nonetheless appealed to him.
“At the beginning,” Gladstone mentioned of Coen, “He’s an elite communicator, a humble human being, and he provides this crew a notable edge, just by the way in which he calls a sport and schemes up his gamers to place them within the spots that they’re going to search out success. I actually stay up for rising our relationship — as a result of it’s been just a few years since we labored underneath the identical roof — however on the similar time, as a result of we come from the identical roots, I do know that now we have the identical values in place.”
Snead and Gladstone recognized Jacksonville as a spot with the potential to succeed. The familiarity with Coen needed to have helped, however as Gladstone mentioned on Monday, “It didn’t take lengthy for me to comprehend that this was a extremely good touchdown spot.”
Whereas it most likely didn’t impression his final choice, the Jaguars’ stockpile of draft capital is the cherry on high. “With the quantity of draft capital that now we have at our disposal over the following two seasons, it’s actually thrilling about what we are able to do there, particularly understanding that that’s the best quantity of draft capital that exists for any crew within the NFL over the following two years. We’re coming off two cycles with the Los Angeles Rams the place that was the very same case: 24 picks during the last two drafts. So actually it is a dynamic that I’m uniquely positioned to navigate and actually wanting ahead to using as a method of constant to develop this roster.”
What did sway Gladstone was his help system again residence in St. Louis. “All through this course of,” he instructed Frangie, “When folks grew to become conscious that it was one thing that I used to be part of, they instantly — for essentially the most half — would say, ‘Wow, what an amazing opp, that’s so cool that you just get an opportunity to do that.’ And my dad would at all times return to, ‘Is that this one thing you wish to do? Is that this what’s going to make you content?’ I feel that these strains of thought, [my parents] at all times made it in order that I can rethink issues beneath the floor which may not simply be standing there proper on the high. Their worth is immense to me.”
Statement #3 — Character Counts
We’ve gotten a lot of the background information out of the way in which. When it comes to the way forward for Jaguars soccer, Gladstone’s strongest sentiment will be boiled all the way down to a single buzzword: intangibles.
“We’ll prioritize folks and gamers which can be intangibly wealthy,” he mentioned Monday. “By doing so, they are going to elevate our ecosystem, our crew, by being nothing greater than themselves. It’s so simple as that.”
“On the sector,” he expanded on the scrum, “We’re on the lookout for competitiveness, toughness, and soccer instincts. Off the sector, you’re on the lookout for those that elevate these round them and are passionate concerning the sport of soccer. So it’s actually not all that complicated, nevertheless it’s one thing that we’re simply merely going to prioritize and be disciplined in our strategy.”
Sure, these are frequent clichés. Everybody claims to herald individuals who love the sport and wish to win. But not everybody’s actions mirror that.
“I feel many individuals discuss,” Gladstone mentioned Monday, “the thought of [intangibles] being necessary to them. I actually stay up for exhibiting our workers, our gamers, and our followers that we’re going to be disciplined in prioritizing it.”
When Frangie requested concerning the age-old ‘traits versus manufacturing’ debate, he responded, “I at all times give it some thought as ‘expertise and intangibles.’ We’re going to be searching up the fellows which have each, however the factor is, these guys aren’t abundantly out there. So we’ll lean into intangibles greater than something.”
One other buzzword that’s popped up this week is “collaboration.” Gladstone, Coen, and government vice chairman of soccer operations Tony Boselli have all said individually that they’re aligned as a unit to hold out Coen’s imaginative and prescient with a disciplined strategy.
As Mark Lengthy of the Related Press identified on Monday, that’s nice to listen to and all, however why will this time be any totally different than any of Jacksonville’s previous failed regimes?
“You’re proper,” Boselli responded. “It’s straightforward to say these phrases, and finally, it doesn’t matter what I inform you proper now, we’ve obtained to go show it. The way in which you have got collaboration, it begins with relationships which can be constructed on belief, and that’s what we’re establishing, and that’s how we’ll function transferring ahead, as a result of on the finish of the day if we hold the concentrate on what we’re attempting to attain, which is win soccer video games, nothing else ought to matter. Not our agendas, not our egos, who will get credit score.”
Many Jaguars followers are understandably involved about Jacksonville’s distinctive energy construction. There’s nobody designated decision-maker. However when disagreements inevitably come up, the franchise’s three-headed “soccer management unit” will activate the tape and discover frequent floor by speaking by means of sport movie. And if that doesn’t assist, they’ll merely transfer on to discover a participant or an strategy they do agree upon.
“There can be disagreements,” Gladstone mentioned. “We welcome that. When there’s ever a second that we are able to’t bridge the hole and discover some model of frequent floor in the case of evaluating a participant, we can have gamers that we are going to align on and we’ll focus our consideration there and transfer these others off to the facet.”
“What’s necessary just isn’t whether or not or not these [players we move on from] go on to have success in my thoughts, it’s that those that we add to our ecosystem are constructed to thrive in what we’ve constructed. In order that’s actually the intent, and actually why I really feel like we’ve had such success in Los Angeles over the latest years, is as a result of the those that we do usher in are constructed for the environment and actually elevate it and themselves by being amongst it.”
“When all people drops their ego and isn’t occupied with being the one which’s proper, versus making the appropriate choice for the crew that we work for, I feel that goes a great distance.”
Oberservation #4 — Personnel Pointers
Gladstone gave complete nonanswers when requested point-blank concerning the depth chart. Shocker.
The excellent news is, with some discretion, he did drop some noteworthy nuggets on Jacksonville’s present roster and out there sources.
- The most effective remains to be to return for Trevor Lawrence. Gladstone believes Coen’s numerous scheme will assist, in addition to reinforcements up entrance. “Inside offensive line is one thing that helps a quarterback out considerably,” he mentioned on NFL Every day. “With the ability to step into your throws goes to simply deliver success, and actually deliver confidence. Past that, clearly you’re at all times going to wish to give him some weapons and proceed to maintain that deep, however we glance ahead right here down the stretch to deal with a few of these issues.”
- Gladstone’s slogan for scouting offensive linemen: “Get in the way in which, keep in the way in which. If you are able to do that, you’re constructed to be a Jaguar.”
- His feedback from the scrum made it obvious that Jacksonville desires additional draft capital, regardless of already proudly owning a league-high 24 picks throughout the following two drafts. “An elevated quantity of draft capital is what we’ll be searching up, clearly we have already got that at present, and extra at-bats just isn’t going to be a nasty factor.”
- We’ve obtained two new buzzwords for Jacksonville’s defensive philosophy. “The mixture of urgency and explosiveness is one thing that I definitely desire,” Gladstone mentioned on the podium in Indianapolis. “We’ll be an pressing and explosive bunch on protection. It’ll definitely be a shift from what our followers most likely noticed final yr.”
- When requested if Christian Kirk might be re-involved in commerce rumors, Gladstone responded, “No, I wouldn’t say that. We’re simply beginning the conversations about our personal present roster throughout each scouting and training workers in addition to working in pro-free agent-related dialogue. So, at this time limit, I can say that we’re pleased to have Christian.”
- Gladstone mentioned of Brenton Unusual, “Yeah, actually enthusiastic about his ascension in yr two and I feel he’ll have an element within the offense transferring ahead in a approach that we haven’t seen but.”
Two transient entrance workplace notes earlier than we go.
- Ethan Waugh, who was the Jaguars’ assistant common supervisor underneath Trent Baalke after which their interim after Baalke’s termination, remains to be employed. He’ll be working with the crew by means of the spring, if not longer.
- Workforce president Mark Lamping, who’s answerable for the Jaguars’ enterprise operations, was lately concerned within the soccer side of the group. He led the interview course of and scheduled interviews to search out Baalke’s substitute.
What had been your fundamental takeaways from Gladstone’s first week as Jaguars common supervisor?
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