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Why Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone career path was almost impossible to predict
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- Why Jacksonville Jaguars GM James Gladstone career path was almost impossible to predict
LONDON — James Gladstone didn't grow up with aspirations to be an NFL general manager.
He also didn't think about his future in terms of the National Football League, full stop. But that's not because he didn't know he could do it — it simply wasn't the path he was on.
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Before stepping foot into the league with the Los Angeles Rams , and well before he became the Jacksonville Jaguars ' general manager, Gladstone was poised to become a high school football head coach, specifically for his alma mater, St. John Vianney in St. Louis (Mo.). Eventually, he imagined his path would lead to becoming the athletic director.
But when James' father, Gene, opted to move on to coach at Clayton High School, James naturally followed. Both Gene and James' grandfather were coaches and administrators at high schools. Gladstone's natural path was there, but even that transition deviated from what he expected.
Gladstone would meet Rams general manager Les Snead via his son, Logan , who played for the high school while the Rams were still based in St. Louis, and the rest is history. He doesn't want to plant himself in one lane, but if he is in that lane, he's full steam ahead — nothing else matters.
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"That's really a part of the reason why I began pursuing this path in life. I was a high school teacher and a football coach. [I] was set on doing that for a long time. Met Les Snead in St. Louis, and knew that he was somebody that I felt like I could learn a lot from," Gladstone told the Times-Union in an exclusive interview in London on Friday.
"Wanted to support and through that, hopefully bring with it a lot of stuff into my life that I never would have otherwise been able to experience."
But the path was not pre-ordained, and that's just how Gladstone likes it.
Now, the former teacher-coach-turned-GM finds himself back across from the organization that helped shape him — only this time, he's the one in charge.
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How James Gladstone's roots with Rams helped pave future with Jaguars
While with the Rams, Gladstone held numerous positions, starting as an assistant to Snead before eventually becoming the team's director of scouting strategy from 2022-24.
In all, Gladstone spent nine years with the Rams before becoming Jacksonville's GM. That's nine years of experience under one of the top front offices in the league, and specifically, one of the top general managers in the NFL.
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But his experience and learning through various roles have helped shape what he has become today.
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"I was exposed to a lot of moving parts. Being Les' assistant, you just fall into some conversations that you get to observe, some different situations that you get to see being managed. Then, the larger picture piece, which is building a culture and operations that are smoothly moving," said Gladstone.
"As I think about some of the larger picture concepts that are important to apply, and to where we are in our stage, is the alignment piece and the shared vision and knowing that, that's a critical element to ensuring success."
Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, who also spent time with the Rams , shares that organizational DNA, but Gladstone's perspective is uniquely shaped by nearly a decade inside Snead's front office.
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Gladstone is still shaping Jacksonville's roster, and Coen is working hard on bringing the roster to life on the gridiron. Thus far, the plan has worked out. The Jaguars are 4-2 and set to face off against another good opponent in Los Angeles .
Executive vice president of football ops Tony Boselli is also part of that shared vision. His contributions to the franchise, Gladstone and Coen add another variable in how the team ultimately comes to form.
Still, the work continues, and it won't be an overnight journey, but some of what Gladstone learned from the Rams can be used to help his transition into the big role he has held down with Jacksonville for the last seven or so months.
"Being able to manage those, work through those in a constructive way, is something that I saw in real time during my tenure with the Rams, and I'm seeing in real time here in the short six-month window that we've found ourselves in here in Jacksonville, now London for the week," Gladstone explained.
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"Nonetheless, I think those things resonate with me as part of that window of my life and are definitely things that I'm trying and attempting to apply here in the now, which is maintaining that shared vision and seeing that executed in real life."
The synergy doesn't just exist between the trio of a braintrust, but must extend to the players, personnel, and everyone within the organization itself.
Jaguars 'bunker' down in London ahead of game vs. Rams
At The Grove Hotel in Watford, Hertfordshire — where the Jaguars have spent the week in preparation for Sunday's game — old World War II underground bunkers sit just behind the team's practice field.
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During the interview, Gladstone drew from that to explain how the team is approaching, not just this week, but in building the team moving forward. Connectivity and getting interpersonal with everyone being together is also something Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen have drawn from their time in Los Angeles .
"It's a critical piece and that doesn't happen fast. That comes with time, that comes with being in the bunker together, so to speak, as we have these suckers right behind you," Gladstone said, looking ominously into the background.
"Going through adverse moments, going through some successful moments, and living with each other through those is what builds up some version of equity and some version of connective tissue that you can't just create out of nothing."
A general overall view of Wembley Stadium, the site of an NFL International Series game between the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 20, 2024 in London, England. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Jaguars have built plenty of credit with their players. Communication has been at the forefront of the team's rebuild this season.
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These moments must come from a place of intentionality.
"You can't just talk it into existence. You do have to live through some of these authentic experiences and come out on the other side, growing together, as opposed to detaching," said Gladstone.
The Jaguars are going through a bit of adversity this week. They're coming off the team's worst performance of the season in their 20-12 loss to the Seattle Seahawks .
Still, the team is set to face off against a very familiar opponent, at least to the men in charge. But Gladstone didn't want to go as far as to say any extra emotions are heading into the matchup for him. He added that players undergo similar circumstances after being with other organizations before joining the club.
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"So, it's not abnormal in this world, and I'm not treating it any differently than a normal game that we would in London. This is a global stage that's a big part for our team, to be able to showcase who we are and represent the Jaguars in the right way," Gladstone added.
"That's really where our focus is falling. I know as we come off the heels of a loss to the Seahawks, we're rooting our logic and focusing on us and doing what we can to ensure success, knowing that if we execute what we're supposed to, that will point us in the right direction. So that's where we're trying to funnel a lot of that thought process at this point."
For Gladstone, the moment isn't about nostalgia or rivalry. It's about applying the lessons learned in one chapter to build something lasting in the next.
Demetrius Harvey is the Jacksonville Jaguars reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @Demetrius82 or on Bluesky @ Demetrius .
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jagaurs' James Gladstone reflects on meeting LA Rams GM Les Snead
