Fact Check: Do the Jaguars have the youngest coaching staff in the NFL after James Gladstone's hiring?

The Jacksonville Jaguars made history in NFL leadership on Friday by hiring 34-year-old James Gladstone as their general manager. NFL insider Peter Schrager dissected the ages of Jacksonville's new leadership team.

Head coach Liam Coen (39), offensive coordinator Grant Udinski (29), defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile (42), and GM James Gladstone (34). NFL reporter Ari Melrov verifies that this is the youngest set of decision-makers in the league.

Gladstone's path to Jacksonville went through Los Angeles, where he spent eight years climbing the Rams' organizational ranks. Starting in 2016 as a senior assistant to GM Les Snead, he became the director of scouting strategy for the last four years.

The Athletic's Jordan Rodrigue credits Gladstone's vision. He added 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse and 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Puka Nacua. Those picks were a key factor in turning around the Rams from the five-win group in 2022 to back-to-back 10-win playoff seasons.

Youth movement seeks to stop Jacksonville's slippage as James Gladstone joins

Syndication: USA TODAY - Source: Imagn

The Jaguars' change to youth leadership comes on the heels of two seasons of regression. They went 8-9 in 2023 after making the playoffs in 2022-23, then bottomed out at 4-13 in 2024. This free fall lost head coach Doug Pederson and GM Trent Baalke their jobs.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan outlined the thorough search that ended in James Gladstone:

"Every candidate delivered, and I am grateful to them all for their preparation and time spent with us this week in Jacksonville," Khan stated. "In the end, we found James to be exceptional in every regard."

James Gladstone served alongside new head coach Liam Coen during Coen's tenure as the Rams' offensive coordinator in 2022 and assistant offensive coach from 2018 to 2020.

"It's going to be fun watching James work with our football leadership team of Liam Coen, Tony Boselli and Tony Khan," the owner added. "This is also an occasion to thank Jaguars fans everywhere for their support and faith over the years."

The young brain trust will face their first real test with the fifth overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.