Press Pass | GM James Gladstone on Jaguars' Free Agency Approach

0:00Hi, everyone. We have General Manager James Gladstone available. Please raise your hand if you have a question. We can start with Jamal then move to Dmitrius. What's going on, James? How you doing? Life is good. How are you guys? Pretty good. Out here at TPC. So we might have to pull you out here. What do you like about Chris Rodriguez? I think there's a lot to like. You know, obviously Liam has some familiar heritage with him dating back to his time at Kentucky. Beyond that, it's kind of fun. Like if I unravel sort of diving into who he's been as a professional football player and get into the nuances of our exposure to him and we'll eat up to the decision to prioritize him as an untended RFA. You know, it's interesting when we watch players, Tony Bussell, he's been a consistent presence in that.

1:01But you know, he's fallen into the line of, if you watch the tape right before sharing his perspective on each player and we've kind of fallen into that becoming a funny comment knowing that he's usually talking to a group of people that have watched the tape. And so with that, Chris Rodriguez is in fact somebody that if you watch the tape, you understand very quickly exactly who he is as a football player, the superpowers that he taps into consistently. And you know, if you draw back to his time at Kentucky, it's remained a constant. He's very physical at the point of attack. He has a really good pace and his approach to the line of scrimmage and finding the lanes. Obviously an intimate understanding of the system and how we am likes to call things. So there's a lot of strong matches just generally from how those two in tandem can really work together. And then also our interests in continuing to find ways to level up our capacity in the run game to make it a really balanced attack,

2:08being able to attack the perimeter and also the inside in really fair and balanced forms. And I think that Chris seamlessly provides that. You can talk team building philosophy briefly. I mean, kind of quiet through free agency. There's been that frenzy and Jaguars fans not necessarily used to it. So maybe a little bit of frantic waiting for you to do something there. And quite a bit different than a year ago today, right? We came out the gates. What you might call us hot. It's on a double digit free agents, external free agents right off the bat a year ago. And you know, the whole approach to that cycle was raised the floor of the football team. And that was a part of it. We're at a stage now where you know, a higher volume of draft capital is what we're hunting up in those compensatory picks. When you think about high priced free agents of ours ended up signing elsewhere. Well deserved contracts. I mean, a lot of guys that have already announced the signing.

3:09I mean, they did their part to put themselves in really sound positions to earn that. And excited for all those guys in return by not signing any outside free agents. We recouped 2027 draft capital. And I think on its surface, you would think, oh, okay, you're going to make picks in 2027. Whereas in reality, those draft picks and having more of them actually allows you the luxury of remaining in the hunt at different intervals throughout the entire calendar year for acquiring players. You think about training camp a year ago and using a day three pick to acquire a wide receiver in Tim Patrick. You think about ahead of the trade deadline and being able to use two picks on day three to acquire a wide receiver in Jacobi Myers. Without that draft capital at your disposal, you may not be as willing or able to relinquish some of those future picks. So by building that up, now it allows us the luxury of remaining sort of with the flexibility to do those sorts of things as we move into the next stages of the off season and into the regular season.

4:18We'll go to the tree is then to Brent. Hey, James, you sort of touch on this with the comp picks, but in terms of, I guess, letting or lack of a better term, Devon Lloyd walk, how challenging was that for you guys? And just, you know, how does that sort of change the outlook of the linebacker room moving forward? Yeah, I think Devon's impact on our football team over the course of the last year was nothing short of, you know, significant. And without him, without his on-ball production, games are going to look a lot different. The results of those games are going to look a lot different. And I know that our coaching staff had such a high appreciation for what he did. The players in the locker room loved to play beside him and appreciate all the pieces that he brought to the puzzle. Beyond that, I think we can look at our own that we still have as people that can step in and have stepped in over the course of their working contracts in Ventral Miller.

5:20He started multiple games at linebacker force and did so even last year. And beyond that, Branson Combs, who is an undrafted college for the agent, found his marker on special teams and still has a lot of upside that can be built upon. You know, beyond that, you look at the middle linebacker spot in Voya, who's held that down for quite a few years and is the leader of that crew is, you know, it's really exciting to know that he can continue to evolve in that capacity with Jack Kaiser right behind him. And then, you know, the fact that we were able to get Dennis back, who wasn't assigning until after the draft last year and really made his dent within the really flexible role that is Sam Bakker being able to rush, being able to drop, being able to really be active on special teams. And bring a competitive fire that, you know, anybody who loves football will love Dennis Gardek. And, you know, I think that was pretty clear. And he, you know, he allowed Campy who really appreciates that Sam Bakker position to grow it and really make it so that it was suited for, you know, what Dennis does best.

6:22And then right behind him, you got, you know, McLeod, who's coming off of really a red shirt year dealing with his injuries. And then also a year of dual, who's obviously been such a critical piece in particular on special teams. So there's a lot of experience coming back with, you know, obviously still room to find ways to improve over the course of the off season, not including just the draft. Thank you. We'll go to breath then to O'Hallar and James, as you know, there are a lot of rumors that fly around and reports this time of year. But there were some, you know, reputable reports over the weekend about you guys being linked to Crosby before he traded or when he got traded to the Ravens. Is there any merit to it and how much are you guys still actively trying to fortify potentially that defensive front? Yeah, I think that's going to be an ongoing process where we're continuing to map out how we can level up.

7:25And, you know, that's a pairing of personnel and scheme and also the back end being tied to rush plans and continuing to ensure that we're able to stop the run at such a high tick like we were last year without diluting that element but still improving the past rush. So that's a fun piece to this off season to try to really map out. That wasn't necessarily something that we were actively engaged in. We're always communicating with other clubs on, you know, the landscape of their thoughts and I can tell you in particular we never got down to a real dialogue exploring that. One, one follow up, you know, mine, you guys were active last year, you spent a good amount of money. It's a chance to get better this time of year as a football team potentially. Is it hard to be disciplined the way you guys were this week or are you just almost kind of forced to be disciplined with the nature of your cap situation?

8:26Yeah, I think FOMO sets in a little bit, you know, we're all human. Well, at the same time, it's not uncharted territory for me, you know, it's not uncharted territory for Liam. He was with us at the Rams and, you know, this was an approach that we took in multiple cycles and it's really one that I know well and feel confident can navigate and really be able to use all the different intervals that lie in front of us to continue to shape. What will be the 2026 Jacksonville Jaguar so it's exciting for my vantage point to know that, you know, the start of the league year began yesterday, roughly 24 hours ago, a little less and it's nothing more than the start. Thanks, appreciate it. Oh, Haloran, then to DRock. Hey, James, I got two for you. First one is Brian Thomas, Jr. Oh, intense has interest from other teams been in trading for him and have you even got an offer yet?

9:26No, we we haven't there hasn't been a ton of dialogue around that front as teams check in simply because it seems like there's another word reputable came up earlier. I don't think there's been any reputable statement. We don't have any real action on any of those fronts and, you know, I think you think back to where we landed at the end of the season, where our passing attack was. We have no interest in disrupting the momentum. We look forward to continuing to build off of where we left things and know that Brian Thomas is a big piece to that puzzle and we don't we don't want to make sure that that gets disrupted at any time. And secondly, for me, where you are in the draft process, you have four picks from 56 to 100, where you're at with your evaluations or your needs going to match up with the strengths and the sweet spots in those rounds two and three. That is a really fair question. I think the best way to sort of think about that is right now what we've structured it to be is that we don't have to pick based off of need necessarily at any specific spot.

10:38That's a luxury. I think when I was with the Los Angeles Rams, there was there were too many drafts and I got to live this where you felt pressed to take a specific position. And there were instances where it worked out fine for us. There were instances where it didn't and that may just be the draft. It may just be the way that those specific situations unfolded. But I think walking into the door on day two, as it stands right now, we're not saying that we need this position at this spot, which is a luxury. And I'm excited about that. It means that we can really take somebody that we understand that we have a clear vision for alignment on and it doesn't have to be dependent on. It's got to be at this specific spot or this side of all. Gotcha. Thanks, James. Thank you. Dear. Sorry, Emily. James, was there an attempt to try and get or try and re-sign Travis ETN and obviously with him being gone, what's the level of confidence you guys have into being able to kind of be, you know, for lack of a better term, the number one guy.

11:47Yeah, that's fair question. We engaged with his reps and monitored his market. We approached it knowing that his, his contract was going to be pretty, pretty high. And wanted to make sure that we were never out of the loop on that and, you know, as things progressed, we obviously made the decision to sort of step aside and have him get what was earned. I think he's pretty darn excited. It seems to be back in his home state and be able to step into that, that stadium. And I know for us, it's really exciting because, you know, Bay Shaw was in a spot, obviously, where he didn't receive the bulk of the carries. But certainly had his moments to shine throughout the course of the year and showcase, you know, a good chunk of what he has to offer. And outside of just Bay Shaw, you got LeQuint who carved out a very clear role and contribution to the football team bringing Chris. And you got a nice little trio alongside DJ Dallas and Jacquinden Jackson. So it's a really good crew that we feel confident in at this stage.

12:56Look forward to seeing how things unfold throughout the course of the spring and, you know, allowing our coaches to get hands on with Chris and see how that all takes shape. As it stands, it's a fairly well-rounded complimentary group and we're excited about it. And back to Brian Thomas real quick, are you amused when you see rumors like that, just sort of take a life, take on a life of their own around the league when you get to free agency or whatever it's like this. And then the next thing you know, there's like seven or eight people that are talking about, you know, Brian Thomas is available on the market. Do you guys even care? Does it bother you when that's out there? What's the reaction when all that happens? It can be very strange, for sure. I care more for, you know, what weight that might put on Brian himself, right, when, you know, it's something that's entirely out of his control and unnecessary. So I think that's where my mind would go if anything, but, you know, when it's fraudulent claims, you just keep your mind on what you can focus on and you can actually control and try to do what's best for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

14:07Ultimately, that's not the hardest thing to do when, you know, that's the role and where you can try to compartmentalize things. But yeah, if anything, it's hopefully it's not a weight that comes with the player that ever would be involved in such a thing. Thank you. We're working under time constraints. We have time for just two more quick questions. We can go to Rick and then to Shipley. How are you doing, James? Life is good. How are you doing? I'm doing great. Just overall, how are things different for you right now? You were really thrown into it a year ago when you got here with free agency and you guys made such a dramatic turn as far as your roster. And then what 42 days away from the draft is to have your own scouts in place pro personnel directors in place. How different is this compared to one year ago? I think last year you were, there was a lot of translation in comparison. Not everybody speaking the same language and trying to bridge that gap this year. It's very seamless.

15:14Dialogue is, you know, on the same plane and it allows for, you know, when communications operating at a high tick, it allows decisions to, you know, unfold in a way that you would, you know, feel really confident in because of that, right? There's clarity that comes with that. So there's a lot of energy that I look back on a year ago that was applied to bridging the gap and, you know, a lot of parallel modes of operation that were being brought together. But this is now a situation where everybody's walking down the same track. So that allows it to be a little bit more efficient. Thank you. Thanks for asking. Last one, Shipley. Hey, James. Thanks for doing this. Just because I don't believe with asked about him yet, Busta Brown bringing him back. Just how much flexibility does that give you? You mentioned that, you know, you don't feel like you have a need really being forced. I mean, just knowing you guys enough, several guys at corner back to where that's not like something glaring heading into April.

16:14Yeah, a ton. So Jack to have Buster back and, you know, his interest in being back existed. And, you know, when it's such a strong match, both parties really interested in bringing that to life. You know, Buster's in a position where he's finally got a chance to play with the same defensive coordinator back to back seasons and build off of what was a really strong schematic and skill set, you know, tie. And I know him and coach camp have a really close relationship. You know, he's just starting a family and to have consistency is not a bad thing. And, you know, everybody feels like, you know, he's just touching, touching the floor or what he can do in this system. And, you know, feel really excited about what he'll be able to do as he builds off of the momentum that, you know, he was able to showcase. And then the rest of the group as a whole, it just, it brings with it some stability that, you know, allows everybody to operate in the high clip. And, you know, feel assured going into the off season that, you know, that's not something that we got to be thinking much of as it relates to decisions moving forward.

17:21Thanks, Strikes. Yeah, thanks for asking.