Jaguars tab James Gladstone as new GM

The Jacksonville Jaguars are hiring Los Angeles Rams executive James Gladstone as their next general manager, the team announced Friday.

"James emerged as my choice, and our choice, following a painstaking but energizing interview process that left nothing to doubt," team owner Shad Khan said in a statement obtained by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "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 (the) many virtues he will bring immediately to the Jaguars."

Gladstone served as the Rams' director of scouting strategy before taking the Jaguars job.

Jacksonville needed a GM after parting ways with Trent Baalke in late January. Baalke's dismissal came just a day prior to the franchise hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen as its next head coach.

The Jaguars narrowed down their GM search to five finalists before settling on Gladstone. The other candidates included interim GM Ethan Waugh, San Francisco 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham.

Gladstone will inherit a Jaguars team that holds the fifth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The front office will also have about $38 million in cap space at its disposal, per Over The Cap.