Story by
Jacksonville Jaguars GM search: Tony Boselli lays out timeline as interviews begin
- Story by
- Jacksonville Jaguars GM search: Tony Boselli lays out timeline as interviews begin
The Jacksonville Jaguars have put their search for a general manager into high gear after finalizing the team's coaching staff late last week.
Jaguars owner Shad Khan parted ways with general manager Trent Baalke not long into the team's search for a head coach in early January.
Advertisement
This week, the team is interviewing candidates virtually via Zoom before moving on to in-person interviews at some point next week ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine.
Liam Coen deep dive: Coach's inner circle helped shape NFL destiny, become Jaguars coach
They completed the first of many expected interviews on Tuesday, starting with San Francisco 49ers director, scouting and football operations Josh Williams, the franchise announced.
Jaguars executive vice president Tony Boselli recently joined talkSPORT Enzone on Radio Row in New Orleans ahead of Super Bowl 59 and spoke about the team's plans moving forward, including a potential timeline for when the team will look to hire their next GM.
Advertisement
Tony Boselli breaks down Jaguars GM hiring timeline
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 10: Former Jacksonville Tiger Tony Boselli looks on during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Announcement on February 10, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Though Jacksonville is the lone team left to hire a general manager in this year's cycle, Boselli does not feel the team is behind the eight ball, telling talkSPORT that the franchise is doing just fine with Ethan Waugh installed as the team's interim GM.
"We are operating right now, on schedule, on time and we're moving forward to the Combine, towards the Draft and everything else, so that is not an issue. So, I don't want any of our fans to think, 'Oh no, they gotta hustle, they gotta rush around and make a quick decision. We're not gonna do that, we're gonna make the right decision," Boselli said.
Advertisement
Boselli mentioned nine external candidates who will go through virtual interviews and some internal candidates, including Waugh, who Boselli said "will be a finalist" for the position.
"He's earned that right. He has proven what kind of personnel person he is," Boselli said of Waugh.
Once the team works through the virtual interviews this week, the team will narrow the candidate list to "three to five," including Waugh. Then, Boselli said "hopefully" the team can conduct in-person interviews next week to ultimately choose who will become their leader in the personnel department ahead of the Combine.
The search is led in part by Boselli, team president Mark Lamping, head coach Liam Coen and Khan, Boselli said. He also added that early on, some of the leaders in the various front-office departments will have some influence during the team's virtual interviews.
Advertisement
Ultimately, the decision will be Khan's, but Boselli believes the team will have alignment.
"Our fans, I get why they're frustrated... We're not making any excuses, we're not blaming anyone else. That's on us. That's who we are right now. We were a four-win team last year. Let's change that," Boselli said.
Who are the Jacksonville Jaguars ' general manager candidates?
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen, left, speaks next to Jacksonville Jaguars Hall of Famer Tony Boselli Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. Jaguars fans got a chance to see the new head coach speak and give a warm welcome at the stadium.
So far, through various reports, the team has requested interviews with, or expressed intention to interview with at least nine candidates before Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg pulled his name from the race last week.
Advertisement
The candidates include Williams, Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham , New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown , Los Angeles Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander , Cincinnati Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown , Los Angeles Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone , Waugh and Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray .
The team is also reportedly interested in a former experienced NFL GM who has not been named, according to NFL insider Josina Anderson .
The list is evolving, but these are the candidates the team has targetted thus far.
Ethan Waugh, interim general manager, Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars assistant general manager Ethan Waugh talks with the media before the start of Friday's rookie minicamp session. The Jacksonville Jaguars held their first day of rookie minicamp inside the covered field at the Jaguars performance facility in Jacksonville, Florida Friday, May 10, 2024.
Waugh was hired as the team's assistant general manager ahead of the 2022 season, working closely with Baalke.
Advertisement
Before joining the Jaguars, Waugh was with Baalke in San Fransico in multiple roles dating back to 2005. Under Baalke from 2011-16, Waugh worked as the team's senior personnel assistant (2012-14) and senior player personnel coordinator (2015-17).
He was vice president of player personnel for the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Jaguars. He was the director of college scouting and football systems for San Francisco before that. He spent more than a decade with the franchise in various roles, dating back to 2005.
Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager, Chicago Bears
One of the hottest GM candidates on the market, Cunningham has been with the Bears since 2022, joining forces with GM Ryan Poles in Chicago.
Advertisement
He began his executive career with the Baltimore Ravens as a personnel assistant from 2008-16 before being promoted to area scout (2013-16). Cunningham left Baltimore to be the Philadelphia Eagles ' director of college scouting (2017-18) and assistant director of player personnel (2019-2020) before finally becoming the team's director of player personnel in 2021.
Cunningham has interviewed with the Los Angeles Chargers, was a finalist for the Washington Commander's post, was a candidate with the Titans and turned down an opportunity to become the Arizona Cardinals ' GM to stay with Chicago.
Cunningham has been a name associated with Coen since well before the season ended. As of today, he appears the most likely to land the gig.
Josh Williams, director, scouting and football operations, San Francisco 49ers
Williams was a four-year receiver for Columbia University before joining the 49ers in 2011 as an assistant in the scouting department.
Advertisement
He was promoted to a pro personnel scout two years later, serving in the role for three years (2013-15). In 2016, Williams was the team's National Football Scouting rep. He was moved to area for five years (2017-21) before spending the last two seasons as a national scout. He was promoted to director, scouting and football operations this past season.
James Gladstone, director of scouting strategy, Los Angeles Rams
Gladstone, 34, is in his eighth season with the Rams and his fourth as director of scouting strategy.
Gladstone has worked directly with Rams general manager Les Snead since joining the franchise in June of 2016, assisting Snead in the team's front office. He met the Rams GM as a high school educator and football coach at St. John Vianney High School and Clayton High School. He met Snead through Snead's son who was a player at Clayton.
Advertisement
Since joining the franchise, Gladstone has steadily grown, eventually into the role he's in today and has become a fast-riser among potential general manager candidates.
Trey Brown, senior personnel executive, Cincinnati Bengals
Brown, 39, began his front-office career in 2010 after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2008 with the Chicago Bears. Brown played cornerback for UCLA. He also played for the New York Sentinels in the since-defunct UFL in 2009 before moving inside the next season.
Brown started as a scouting assistant for the New England Patriots in 2010 before being promoted to area scout (2011-12). Brown moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles as an area scout (2013-14) and was promoted multiple times to assistant director of college scouting (2015) and director of college scouting (2016-18).
Advertisement
After one year as the executive vice president of football operations for the Birmingham Iron of the since-defunct AAF (Alliance of American Football) league, Brown moved on to the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL/UFL as the team's director of player personnel (2021).
After a season there, Brown returned to the Bengals as a scout in 2021 and was promoted to his current role as senior personnel executive in 2022.
Chad Alexander, assistant general manager, Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers assistant general manager Chad Alexander spent 20 years with the Baltimore Ravens, beginning his career as a player personnel assistant (1999-03) before transitioning to area scout (2003-09) and finally the team's assistant director of pro personnel (09-19) for a decade.
Advertisement
Alexander moved on to become the director of players personnel with the New York Jets , spending nearly six years with the club from (2019-24) before joining the Chargers in February.
Brandon Brown, assistant general manager, New York Giants
A finalist for the GM job with the Chargers and Carolina Panthers in 2023, Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown could find himself looking for a new job if co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch opt to move on from coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen following a disappointing season.
Brown has plenty of experience, beginning his career as a pro personnel intern with the New York Jets in 2012, jumping to the collegiate ranks with Boston College as a recruiting specialist (2013) and assistant director of player personnel (2014) before returning to the NFL in 2015 with the Indianapolis Colts as a scouting assistant (2015) and an advance scout (2016).
Advertisement
Brown's career blossomed with the Philadelphia Eagles as the team's assistant director of pro scouting (2017-18), director of pro scouting (2019-20) and director of player personnel (2021).
He joined the Giants as the team's assistant GM in 2022.
Terrance Gray, director of player personnel, Buffalo Bills
The latest name to be revealed among the team's interview requests, Gray arrived in Buffalo in 2017, the same year as coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane.
He took over the position of director of player personnel in 2022 and was named assistant director of player personnel in 2020 after three years with the team.
Advertisement
Before joining Buffalo, Gray spent 11 seasons as a scout for the Vikings. He last scouted the Southeast portion of the country for the franchise.
Gray began his career in the big leagues in 2003 with the Chiefs , working for three years in player development and player personnel and was the team's player development cooridnator until 2005.
He gained scouting experience that year ahead of the 2006 NFL Draft.
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 .
If you're a subscriber, thank you. If not, please consider becoming a subscriber to support local journalism in Northeast Florida .
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars GM search: Interviews begin; how long will it take?
