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Jacksonville Jaguars News & Rumors

Jaguars Preparing Free Agent Pursuit Of CB Carlton Davis?

March 3rd, 2025 at 4:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Jaguars turned their free agent attention toward retaining in-house players last offseason, with the likes of Trevor Lawrence, Josh Hines-Allen and Walker Little receiving lucrative extensions. A major pursuit of numerous outside options should not be expected in 2025, but one potential target has been linked to Jacksonville.

Jacksonville is set to “gauge the market” on Carlton Davis, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes. The veteran corner spent his first six years with the Buccaneers, serving as a full-time starter during that stretch. Given Tampa Bay’s other investments in the secondary, though, the team traded Davis to the Lions last March.

The 28-year-old faced high expectations as part of Detroit’s multi-faceted efforts to improve at the cornerback position. Davis started all 13 of his Lions games but his campaign was ended due to a broken jaw. That missed time could hurt his value, but after posting a pair of interceptions and 11 pass deflections in 2024 the former second-rounder could still stand to do well in free agency. As of January, no talks on a re-up with Detroit had taken place.

Davis – whom Fowler had previously named as a potential Jaguars target – inked a three-year, $44.5MM Bucs extension in 2022. Corners rarely have the opportunity to secure lucrative third pacts during their careers, but his age and ball production (11 career interceptions, 84 pass breakups, four forced fumbles) could lead to strong outside interest. With more than $38MM in cap space, Jacksonville could afford a notable investment in Davis on the open market.

The new regime led by James Gladstone and Liam Coen faces a number of key decisions this offseason, but upgrading in the secondary is an obvious priority. The Jags finished last in the NFL in passing yards allowed in 2024 and they recorded only six interceptions. Tyson Campbell was among the players to receive large paydays last offseason, inking an extension averaging $19.13MM per year. No other major contracts are on the books at the cornerback position, but that could change if Davis reaches the market and entertains the idea of heading to Duval County.

Jaguars Eyeing WR Addition

February 23rd, 2025 at 8:02pm CST by Adam La Rose
  • In the same Fowler piece, he names the Jaguars as a team which could add at the receiver spot. In particular, a vertical threat appears to be on Jacksonville’s wishlist. First-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. had a Pro Bowl season as a rookie, averaging 14.7 yards per catch and scoring 10 touchdowns. Adding further speed alongside the LSU product would help the Jags’ offense, one which still has veteran Christian Kirk in the fold as things stand. Making a call on retaining or releasing the latter will be one of new general manager James Gladstone‘s early priorities.

    [SOURCE LINK]
  • In the same Fowler piece, he names the Jaguars as a team which could add at the receiver spot. In particular, a vertical threat appears to be on Jacksonville’s wishlist. First-rounder Brian Thomas Jr. had a Pro Bowl season as a rookie, averaging 14.7 yards per catch and scoring 10 touchdowns. Adding further speed alongside the LSU product would help the Jags’ offense, one which still has veteran Christian Kirk in the fold as things stand. Making a call on retaining or releasing the latter will be one of new general manager James Gladstone‘s early priorities.

Jaguars Hire James Gladstone As GM

February 21st, 2025 at 10:08pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Jaguars are hiring Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone as their next general manager, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The team confirmed the hire via social media, and Jaguars owner Shad Khan released a statement (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport) calling Gladstone “exceptional in every regard.” Gladstone will reunite with Liam Coen, a Rams assistant from 2018-20 and their OC in 2022. Although Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham was viewed as the frontrunner, it certainly makes sense Coen would want a former coworker to start fresh with him in Jacksonville.

Gladstone will become the youngest general manager in the league at 34 years old. He was previously a high school coach in St. Louis before being hired by Rams general manager Les Snead. Gladstone has spent the last eight years in Los Angeles including the last four as director of scouting strategy. Gladstone will become a GM four years after former Rams staffer Brad Holmes took over in Detroit. Holmes’ Lions success surely did not hurt Gladstone’s chances, though Coen’s status in Jacksonville probably played a bigger role here.

The Rams consistently hit on their draft picks in Gladstone’s tenure despite trading away most of their first-round picks. He will hope to bring that success to Jacksonville, which had an inconsistent drafting record under Trent Baalke. The Jaguars currently hold the fifth overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, giving Gladstone a chance to add an elite prospect with his first pick as GM.

Snead may look to an internal promotion to replace Gladstone in Los Angeles. Candidates could include director of data and analytics Jake Temme and scouting strategist Nicole Blake, per Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

Gladstone was not considered a frontrunner for the Jaguars’ GM job when the team first requested to interview him, partially because he was not considered for any of the other vacancies this hiring cycle. He impressed team decision-makers enough in his first interview to earn a second, solidifying him as a finalist for the job in Jacksonville. Now, he will team up with Coen in an effort to rebuild the team after a 4-13 showing in 2024.

The Jaguars’ GM vacancy was the last to be filled of this year’s hiring cycle, so Gladstone will have to move quickly to prepare the roster for free agency. Jacksonville currently has just under $40MM in cap space, but could create another $35MM of room by moving on from Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Josh Reynolds. Reynolds made just one catch in 2024 and won’t be worth his $4.26MM cap hit next season. Kirk and Engram both played well in 2022 and 2023, but experienced a downtick in production last year before going down with season-ending injuries. They represent the team’s two biggest cap hits in 2025, so the new regime may prefer to cut ties rather than extend players they didn’t originally sign.

Gladstone beat out a number of veteran executives for the GM role in Jacksonville in what Khan called “a painstaking but energizing interview process.” Below is a full list of their candidates:

Ian Cunningham Jaguars GM Frontrunner?

February 19th, 2025 at 9:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2025 GM carousel has spun for several weeks, but the Jaguars have been doing the only work here for the past few. Nearly a month after firing Trent Baalke during their coaching search, the Jags are winding down their process.

As second interviews have begun, one name has jumped out. Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham looks to have emerged as the frontrunner for this role, with Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz going so far as to saw this is his job to lose. In noting the Jaguars hope to have this position filled this weekend, NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe mentions Cunningham as a candidate to watch down the stretch here. This may not be too surprising, as his name surfaced shortly after this job became open. Cunningham’s second interview is likely to take place today, per Schultz.

This is familiar territory for Cunningham, who was the runner-up for the Commanders’ GM job that went to Adam Peters last year. Cunningham also is a two-time finalist for the Titans’ GM post, conducting second interviews with the team in 2023 and ’25. A 2023 report also indicated Ryan Poles‘ top lieutenant turned down the Cardinals’ GM job, one Monti Ossenfort took. Despite the Bears yet to make the playoffs during the Poles-Cunningham regime, the latter is well-regarded around the league.

The Bears did not directly include Cunningham in the search that produced Ben Johnson last month, as Poles mentioned his AGM would have been a part of the search committee had he not been in the running for the Tennessee job. The Titans hired the Chiefs’ Mike Borgonzi to work alongside Brian Callahan (and under football ops president Chad Brinker, effectively).

This Jags post would come with potentially more responsibilities, but Liam Coen is widely viewed as the top power broker in Jacksonville post-Baalke. Coen commanded enough Jags interest that the team fired Baalke after he had led the HC search, and the one-and-done Buccaneers OC is believed to have landed a Johnson-level contract from the AFC South club. Johnson is earning upper-crust coaching money, at $13MM per year. New executive VP Tony Boselli will have a role in the post-Baalke front office as well. While the Hall of Fame tackle is not believed to be above Coen or the GM, he will play a key part here in being set to report to ownership.

If the Bears lose Cunningham, a candidate to watch will be tight end-turned-exec Jeff King. The team’s senior director of player personnel would likely be the man to succeed Cunningham to work with Poles and Johnson, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. A Ryan Pace hire, King has been with the Bears throughout his personnel career, which began in 2015. Via PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how their process stands now that it is in the finalist stage:

Dolphins Not Expected To Tag Jevon Holland

February 19th, 2025 at 11:07am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Dolphins are not expected to place the franchise or transition tag on Jevon Holland, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe, setting him up to be one of the top safeties on the free agent market.

The franchise tag for safeties is projected to be $19.6MM, and the transition tag is projected to be $15.6MM, per OverTheCap. The Dolphins are currently projected to be $5.4MM over the 2025 salary cap, so they would have needed to make additional moves to accommodate a tag for Holland by the start of the new league year.

Oftentimes, though, the tag is used as a placeholder to allow extension negotiations to continue, which could lead to a long-term deal with a smaller 2025 cap hit. However, the Dolphins did not make significant progress towards an extension before the 2024 season, indicating that they and Holland remain far apart.

The Dolphins may not be completely out on re-signing Holland, but they seem willing to let him test the market this spring. That’s partially because the team has “a lot of needs elsewhere,” according to Wolfe, though letting Holland walk will certainly add to that list. Jordan Poyer, Miami’s other starting safety in 2024, is also set to hit free agency and may follow his former Bills teammate Micah Hyde into retirement.

After Antoine Winfield Jr. reset the safety market last offseason, Holland will likely be looking for an APY at $18MM or higher. The 2021 second-round pick has a strong pedigree as a three-time captain and defensive playmaker, though he has struggled with injuries and lower ball production over the last two seasons. That may limit his APY to the $16-17MM range of Xavier McKinney and Jessie Bates, especially with several other safeties set to hit free agency.

Holland could receive interest from the Jaguars, per Wolfe, who are looking to add playmakers on defense after hiring Anthony Campanile as defensive coordinator. Jacksonville has plenty of cap space and a clear hole in the secondary that Holland could fill.

Jaguars Sign QB John Wolford

February 17th, 2025 at 8:16pm CST by Ben Levine

It didn’t take long for the new Jaguars regime to start adding to their roster. The team announced today that they’ve signed quarterback John Wolford and wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit. Both players were signed to the active roster, which is a more significant commitment than the standard reserve/futures contracts you see at this time of year.

Wolford has bounced around the NFL since going undrafted out of Wake Forest in 2018. Following stints with the Jets and in the AAF, the QB seemingly found a home with the Rams, where he spent several years serving as a backup to Jared Goff and later Matthew Stafford.

Wolford ultimately spent four years with the organization, going 2-2 in his four starts. In seven total appearances with the Rams, the QB completed 58.7 percent of his passes for 626 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions. He also added another 87 yards on 16 carries.

The 29-year-old could be part of Jacksonville’s solution behind Trevor Lawrence in 2025. Mac Jones filled in admirably in 2024, but the former first-round pick is set to hit free agency. C.J. Beathard also has an expiring contract, so it could be a new-look QBs room for the Jaguars next year.

A former rugby union player, Rees-Zammit got his NFL start with the Chiefs last offseason. He later caught on with the Jaguars’ practice squad, where he spent the majority of his rookie campaign.

AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Texans, Colts

February 16th, 2025 at 9:20am CST by Ely Allen

As the Jaguars continue to search for a new general manager to pair with first-year head coach Liam Coen, Coen continues to build his first coaching staff around himself in Jacksonville. Most recently, two offensive names have been brought up for minor roles on the offensive staff. While Coen, in his extensive experience coaching quarterbacks, will likely take on a lot of responsibility with molding Trevor Lawrence, as head coach, Coen has other responsibilities, as well, so, he’ll need assistance.

Firstly, the team is hiring Fred Walker as an offensive assistant, per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports. Walker spent the last three years on staff in Las Vegas — two of those years as an offensive assistant before working 2024 as assistant quarterbacks coach. That may not inspire much confidence, considering the state of the position for the Raiders last year, but he did work with Derek Carr in the passer’s last Pro Bowl season in 2022.

Another name the team is looking at to work with Lawrence is James Madison offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dean Kennedy. Kennedy is a young, fast-rising name in the coaching world. He has experience as a graduate assistant with two SEC schools (Mississippi State and Florida) as well as two years as the Gators assistant quarterbacks coach back in 2020-21, when Kyle Trask and Anthony Richardson were in the room.

Following that, Kennedy accepted a role as quarterbacks coach at Holy Cross that turned into his first offensive coordinator role a year later. Last season was his only year with the Dukes, but he led an offense that was 26th in the nation in scoring and beat the North Carolina Tar Heels, 70-50. According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Jaguars are interviewing him for an as of yet unreported role.

Here are a couple other coaching updates coming out of the AFC South:

  • The Texans are expected to add a new defensive staffer in Toledo defensive line coach Frank Okam, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. Okam will serve as the team’s new assistant defensive line coach behind current defensive line coach Rod Wright, whom he played with in college at the University of Texas. Okam also played with head coach DeMeco Ryans when the two were players for the Texans from 2008-10. After defensive line coaching jobs at Rice and Baylor following his playing career, Okam held defensive line coaching jobs for the Panthers and Raiders before returning to the college ranks for the past two years.
  • Finally, the Colts are reportedly targeting veteran defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson for a role on their staff, according to Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Indianapolis just recently hired Chris Hewitt away from Baltimore as their new pass game coordinator & secondary coach, so it will be interesting to see what role they’d like to carve out for Henderson. Henderson has served as defensive backs coach for the Jets (2008), Browns (2009-11), Cowboys (2012-15), and Giants (2020-24) with additional years as a defensive passing game coordinator for the Falcons (2016-19) and the Giants last year.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 15th, 2025 at 9:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.

Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):

  1. New England Patriots: $119.8MM
  2. Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
  3. Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
  4. Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
  5. Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
  6. Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
  7. Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
  9. Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
  10. Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
  11. San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
  12. Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
  13. New York Giants: $43.38MM
  14. Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
  15. Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
  16. Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
  18. Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
  19. Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
  20. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
  21. New York Jets: $16.86MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
  23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
  24. Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
  25. Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
  26. Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
  27. Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
  28. Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
  30. Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
  31. Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
  32. New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over

These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.

With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.

Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.

The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.

Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.

Jaguars To Conduct Second GM Interviews

February 15th, 2025 at 9:40pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jaguars reportedly wrapped up their first round of general manager interviews yesterday, and according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the team will start their second round of interviews in the coming days. Per Pelissero, that will begin with Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan and Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham. Pelissero adds that Jaguars assistant (and interim) general manager Ethan Waugh will also interview this week after not being included initially in the first round of interviews.

Jacksonville conducted their first round of interviews in the last four days, concluding with meetings with Sullivan and Cunningham yesterday. Planning second interviews with each personnel executive the next day bodes well for their standing in the race for the job.

[RELATED: James Gladstone, Josh Williams Also Among Finalists]

Sullivan has spent the entirety of his 22-year career in the NFL in Green Bay, starting as a training camp intern in 2003. He rose up the ranks of the scouting department, eventually serving as director of college scouting from 2016-17. Sullivan had a penchant for hitting on Day 3 picks with the Packers, demonstrated by the drafting of impact players like Blake Martinez, Dean Lowry, Aaron Jones, and Jamaal Williams.

Sullivan’s next role was as co-director of player personnel from 2018-21 before being promoted to his current title in 2022. Sullivan’s success has drawn him plenty of general manager interest around the league. He has been considered for every general manager opening in this year’s hiring cycle, interviewing with the Titans, the Raiders, and the Jets.

Cunningham was one of the initial names to be connected to the Jaguars’ job, along with former Titans general manager Jon Robinson and Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg. Cunningham started his front office career with the Ravens back in 2008 before joining the Eagles as their director of college scouting in 2017. He climbed the ranks to director of player personnel before taking an assistant general manager job with the Bears in 2022. He’s spent the past three seasons in Chicago, though he’s flirted with promotions over the past two years. He was a finalist for the Commanders job last year, and he was interviewed for jobs with the Chargers last offseason and the Titans this cycle.

Though Waugh wasn’t included in the first round of interviews, he was mentioned as a strong candidate for the position on Thursday. Waugh had a lengthy tenure in the 49ers’ front office alongside the man these candidates are all striving to replace, former Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke. The pair worked together from 2005-16, and Waugh worked his way up to vice president of player personnel for the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. He joined Baalke in Jacksonville in May of 2022, taking on his current title. Despite the issues that led to Baalke’s dismissal, Waugh is nevertheless in contention for the job and will interview this week.

James Gladstone, Josh Williams Among Finalists For Jaguars’ GM Position

February 15th, 2025 at 8:18pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday has seen the Jaguars narrow down their general manager search to a list of finalists. Second interviews are already known to be on tap for external candidates Ian Cunningham and Jon-Eric Sullivan along with interim GM Ethan Waugh. Two other staffers are still in the running, however.

The team announced Saturday that Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone and 49ers scouting and football operations director Josh Williams will also take part in a second meeting. After the Jags’ first set of interviews took place virtually, the five finalists will speak in person for their follow-ups. The final round will begin on February 19.

Jacksonville is known to want a GM hire in place before the start of the Combine, but the team’s timeline for this process will leave only a small window for the incoming executive to prepare for the event or work on building a staff. The Combine will kick off on the 24th, with drills beginning on the 27th. The Jags will need to move quickly in the second round of interviews to finalize a hire.

Gladstone was not connected to any of the other three general manager openings in the 2025 hiring cycle, but his performance during his initial meeting obviously went well. Gladstone has been with the Rams for eight seasons, making him a familiar face to new head coach Liam Coen due to his time spent in Los Angeles. Despite the fact he is a first-time head coach, the latter is playing a central role in the GM search process.

Williams was the first candidate to interview with the Jaguars, the only team which spoke with him about a 2025 vacancy. He is worked in San Francisco for the past 14 seasons, working his way up the ranks in the organization’s scouting department. Williams overlapped with former GM Trent Baalke, whose 49ers tenure was followed by a four-year run in the same position with Jacksonville. Baalke appeared to be safe after the 2024 campaign, but in the process of hiring Coen away from the Buccaneers owner Shad Khan reversed course and dismissed Baalke.

Khan and Co. could elect to once again bring in a 49ers staffer to lead the front office, but four other options (including promoting from within) remain on the table at this point. Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown was reported earlier this week to have a strong connection with Coen regarding his roster-building philosophy, but he is not among the finalists. It will be interesting to see how the second round of interviews shakes out once it begins.

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