GENERAL MANAGER JAMES GLADSTONE, OWNER SHAD KHAN, HEAD COACH LIAM
COEN, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS TONY BOSELLI,
CHIEF FOOTBALL STRATEGY OFFICER TONY KHAN AND PRESIDENT MARK LAMPING
MEDIA AVAILABILITY
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2025
JOHN DEVER: “I want to thank you for joining us here at the Miller Electric Center, as we
first and foremost introduce the new general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but also
to close the loop on perhaps the most impactful 28 or 29 days that this franchise has ever
seen. To do just that, it’s my pleasure to introduce the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mr.
Shad Khan.”
SHAD KHAN: “Thank you, John. Well, what a start to 2025. I hope everyone is as energized
as I am, as we aim at the bright future on the field and continue to succeed as we have off
the field. We’ve got an outstanding leadership of the Jaguars assembled to my left: [General
Manager] James Gladstone, Liam [Head Coach Liam Coen], [Executive Vice President of
Football Operations] Tony Boselli, [Chief Football Strategy Officer] Tony Khan and
[President] Mark Lamping. Before I introduce our new general manager, James Gladstone, I
do want to touch on a few developments since we last met.
First, congratulations to [DL] Arik Armstead, who was named NFL Walter Payton Man of the
Year for excellence on the field, combined with his commitment to the community. Anyone
who’s met Arik and knows him would understand why he’s earned this honor of wearing
Walter Payton’s silhouette on the jersey. Arik’s heart is big, no matter what he does, and
we’re proud and fortunate to have him here in Jacksonville. Thank you, Arik. (Applause).
Several weeks ago, I shared the good news that Mark Lamping has agreed to continue as
our team president through the 2030 season. Mark’s positive impact on the team business
has been remarkable, and the leadership on the stadium project, Stadium of the Future, is
going to be essential in the years ahead. I thank Mark for your commitment to the team and
the community. (Applause).
It’s also my honor to announce that Tony Boselli would serve his beloved Jaguars as
executive VP of football operations. Tony was born for this. His leadership during our GM
search was extremely impressive, and his excellent collaboration with Liam helped lead us
to where we are, which is to welcome James Gladstone as the GM of the Jacksonville
Jaguars.
There’s a lot to know about James, a lot to like about James. All of it will become evident
today and in the years to come. But one thing I do want to emphasize is James faced fierce
competition during the interview process. Every candidate was outstanding. I think that
speaks to the promise the next generation of leadership in the NFL holds. More importantly,
it speaks to the high quality of James Gladstone. Today’s NFL is constantly changing. It’s
important for us to find a GM who’s unafraid of change, someone who can innovate,
collaborate, communicate, and evolve. All of that describes James. It’s no wonder James
has already produced a brilliant body of work so early in his career, but what’s best is his
immense promise in the role of general manager. I’m thrilled we’ll get to see James seize
the opportunity here in Duval.
James is joined today by his wife, Julie, and daughter, Sabine; mom, Kim; and dad, Gene.
To the Gladstone family, I know you’re as proud of James as we are, but I want to welcome
you to Jacksonville and the Jaguars family. (Applause).
With that, it’s time to meet the new GM of the Jacksonville Jaguars, James Gladstone.
(Applause).”
JAMES GLADSTONE: “Good morning. You know, it really is an honor to be with you all today
as the general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. I do have to start, first and foremost, by
thanking Shad, Tony and the entire Khan family for believing in me, for entrusting me with
such an incredible opportunity. Their passion for this city, this franchise, it’s contagious. I
look forward to building something special with them. As I look across this table, I’ve also
got to give thanks to Tony Boselli for his leadership throughout this entire process, our
football operations staff, who have made it a seamless transition for my family. I’ve got to
give thanks to Mark Lamping for his invaluable insights, and to Liam Coen. Liam, I can’t wait
to bring your vision for this football team to life, working with our coaching staff, our
scouting staff and our support staff to give the city of Jacksonville, its fans and our partners
around the world a team that they’re proud to support.
To my wife Julie, to my daughter Sabine, to my parents, Kim and Gene, to my siblings,
Michelle and DeMarco, the rest of my family, my friends, your presence, your support, I’ve
never had to ride alone. You have elevated me to levels that I didn’t know on my own I had
the ability to reach.
To the Los Angeles Rams, to everyone I worked with over the last nine years, thank you.
I genuinely believe that this moment, me being seated on this stage, is not a reflection of
anything that I’ve done on my own but rather a collective effort, and I won’t lose sight of it.
To Les [Rams General Manager Les Snead] and [wife] Kara Snead, you guys altered the
trajectory of my life. Supporting you, learning from you, that was an honor of a lifetime. I
now look to carry that experience forward every day in this role.
To the Jaguar fan base, I turn to you. With Liam’s vision, with a disciplined approach, we’re
going to bring you a product that you all can be proud of, and we are so appreciative of your
support.
With that, game on. (Applause).”
Q. James, when you were reminiscing with Les [L.A. Rams general manager Les Snead]
on Saturday morning, did you take some time to think back as to how this journey
happened because from the moment that you asked him about possibly coming
aboard with the Rams at that Starbucks that you guys were at back in June of ’16, I
think it was—
GLADSTONE: “You’ve done your research.”
Q. Can you talk about how you got to this point? Because when you started, you
apparently did not know whether you wanted to be a part of the NFL world for the rest
of your life or whatever.
GLADSTONE: “How much time do we have? Do we have a shot clock here? (Laughter). No,
that’s a great question. I really appreciate you asking it that way. I think, first and foremost,
Les [L.A. Rams general manager Les Snead] is unapologetically himself. He offers that
same luxury to anybody he comes in contact with, and that is something that I think is one
of the best things on planet Earth, to simply be able to be yourself. That’s what drew me to
him. Even though I was pursuing a career as a high school teacher and football coach, one
that I really wanted to embark on from a young age, and pivoted to a different path simply
for the sake that I could find somebody that I wanted to learn from and support.
It’s been a fantastic nine years, being able to be alongside him for that journey and really
building the L.A. Rams into what they are today. As we transition then into this conversation
around, hey, is it now time for us to consider what comes next, it was never going to be
something that I brought up. It was only until he raised his hand and said, it’s time. At that
point, when this became available, when he knew that it would be a match with Liam, with
Tony and everybody else that you see up here, that’s when we began to accelerate sort of
the progress of transitioning into the next phase and becoming a general manager.”
Q. How quickly did you know after you started working for the Rams that this is
something that you really wanted to do possibly for the rest of your life?
GLADSTONE: “I don’t know that there was any one moment. I think it’s fair to say that I
rooted myself in whatever role that I had. I kept my mind there. I think by doing simply that,
you’ll find good results. That’s any recommendation for anybody who asks. How can I
continue to ascend? The first thing I’d say is to root yourself where you’re at, and as long as
you start there, try and remain rooted in that mindset, good things are coming.”
Q. James, why did you want to work with Liam? When did you guys realize that your
visions or the way you see football sort of meshed? Did you realize when you guys first
met that you guys were pretty closely aligned?
GLADSTONE: “Yeah, I can’t say when I think back to our time at the Rams there was ever
this idea that, hey, we’re going to end up being GM and head coach side by side. But by
default, because of where our roots both fall, we’re aligned just in and of itself. I think
through this whole process, some of the things that really were the most alluring and
exciting about this opportunity is that the leadership structure, while it mirrors what I’m
familiar with in Los Angeles, and I know that that’s one that I, A, can have success in, and B,
can be successful in this line of work.”
Q. James, really unique for you in those nine years that you guys built this organization
two different ways, gave up top picks for [Rams CB] Jalen Ramsey and [Rams QB] Matt
Stafford; then as you promoted your career or you were promoted, scouting became
that much more important, including recent picks, which led to the Defensive Rookie
of the Year [Rams LB Jared Verse] this year. How do you take everything that you
learned, two different ways to build an organization, and now apply that to this team,
which has some parts in place but obviously room for improvement in other aspects?
GLADSTONE: “Yeah, that is a great question, really layered. I’ll try to be as clear and
concise with my response as possible but touch on some big picture items. I think, A, the
adaptability that shows amongst the leadership group in Los Angeles and one that we’ll
look to embody here, knowing that this is an ever-evolving landscape in the NFL and the
importance of changing and being ahead of the curve in terms of what success looks like. I
think beyond that, I see a lot of parallels to really my time with the Los Angeles Rams and
the current moment in time here with the Jacksonville Jaguars, in particular dating back to
sort of the inflection point in 2017 when the Los Angeles Rams were coming off a four-win
season, hired a dynamic and resilient head coach [Rams Head Coach Sean McVay], and
were able to follow that up with a successful season and successful seasons since. So
really going to tap into all those years of experience and the different sorts of modes of
operation and models that we deployed while applying here.”
Q. When you look at this roster or this team, what gets you excited or fired up about it?
GLADSTONE: “Yeah, the short of it is there’s talent in a lot of key spots, and with the
amount of draft capital that we have at our disposal over the next two seasons, it’s really
exciting about what we can do there, especially knowing that that’s the highest volume of
draft capital that exists for any team in the NFL over the next two years. We’re coming off
two cycles with the Los Angeles Rams where that was the exact same case: 24 picks over
the last two drafts. So really this is a dynamic that I’m uniquely positioned to navigate and
really looking forward to utilizing as a means of continuing to develop this roster.”
Q. What was the interview process like on your end? When did you know you felt
comfortable and this was the perfect fit for you?
GLADSTONE: “Oh, that was pretty quick. It didn’t take long. It was a great interview
process, very thorough interview process. The first wave was virtual, and it included people
from every department to represent and really begin engagement with whoever was going
to end up being offered the position so that we could hit the ground rolling, have some
familiarity, et cetera. Then when we got into the more intimate discussions last week here
in person. We dove a bit deeper, surfaced a lot of higher-level lines of thinking. But it didn’t
take long for me to realize that this was a really good landing spot, and technically, I don’t
think that Les, like I mentioned earlier, would have ever raised his hand and said, ‘Hey, it’s
time,’ unless he viewed it as a really strong opportunity to be successful.”
Q. Do you look at what you bring to the table as cutting edge or outside the box, and
what does that look like in today’s NFL or from a GM spot?
GLADSTONE: “Yeah, that’s a fair question. I think that, yeah, I have a fresh perspective, I’d
say. A deep understanding of really the modern tools and mechanisms that are
revolutionizing the sport. That’ll certainly be something that we leverage here, while at the
same time we’re walking into the Combine this afternoon. The current mode of operation is
in rhythm. The cadence is in place. My intent here through this initial spring is to really
calibrate my own mode of operation to the current mode of operation, insert some specific
efficiencies that will help me better understand our group’s insights and perspectives, and
then assess at the end of this spring what types of things we can roll out into the future. But
we’ll certainly put the pedal to the metal on a lot of advanced modes of operation.”
Q. I wanted to ask you about your philosophy of player identification. I saw Matt Miller
tweeted something about pro-ready players versus traits players. Can you give a deep
dive into what you look for with college players and what you will do to try to bring
those guys who can fit into Liam’s system right away?
GLADSTONE: “That’s a great question. I’m glad you asked. I think it’s pretty simple from my
perspective. We will prioritize people and players that are intangibly rich, and by doing so,
they will elevate our ecosystem, our team, by being nothing more than themselves. It’s as
simple as that.”
Q. You talked about a lot of things, about the ever-changing landscape of the NFL, and
then you talked about the mode of operation. But I assume you’re hinting at analytics.
Obviously Tony [Khan] is deep in that, but how much more is there to be found and had
in the role of analytics in terms of building rosters and maybe even helping with the
game management stuff?
GLADSTONE: “Tony [Khan] will be leveraged for sure. His insight and understanding is top
tier. So that in and of itself is an edge that we can utilize. Beyond that, the biggest item that I
can articulate at this stage and will for our staff is not that analytics is ever doing anything
other than supporting our current mode of operation and the traditional ways in which we
approach evaluations. Now, the fusion between the two is really what’s important. Neither
evaluations or data analytics outweighing either but really supporting one another and
being useful to one another in a way that increases our efficiency just from an operational
standpoint and helps us make more informed decisions.”
Q. You mentioned a fresh perspective. Can you give us some examples on some of that
stuff without giving away any trade secrets?
GLADSTONE: “Probably not.”
Q. This may be premature, but what do you think draft day dynamic is going to be like
between you, Liam and Tony in regards to making the decision round by round? If the
third round Liam comes to you and says, I’ve really got to have a guard, how do you
anticipate that kind of situation working, panning out?
GLADSTONE: “Are you OK if I give you a two-word answer?”
Q. Sure.
GLADSTONE: “Pure collaboration.”
Q. The draft process hasn’t always been successful here. There’s been some hits;
there’s been a few misses. What is a figure in mind as far as the number of players that
make an impact? I know you want all of them to make an impact, but is there a certain
percentage that you’re comfortable with that you really would hope would work out in
this team?
GLADSTONE: “Yeah, first off, I do think every team has their hits and misses. Nobody bats
a thousand. But you absolutely go into a draft thinking that you will. One of the things that
we talked about in the interview process, by default, Liam and I are aligned. We’ll continue
to get deeper alignment as we continue to grow and evolve together. But there will be
disagreements. We welcome that. When there’s ever a moment that we can’t bridge the
gap and find some version of common ground when it comes to evaluating a player, we will
have players that we will align on and we’ll focus our attention there and move those others
off to the side because what’s important is not whether or not those go on to have success
in my mind, it’s that the ones that we add to our ecosystem are built to thrive in what we’ve
constructed. So that’s really the intent and really why I feel like we’ve had such success in
Los Angeles over the most recent years is because the people that we do bring in are built
for our environment and really elevate it and themselves by being amongst it.”
Q. Curious, knowing that right now the goal is to bridge the gap of who is here, the
philosophies that you are bringing in, do you anticipate bringing in any additional
resources in terms of people to the scouting department or what have you, between
now and the NFL Draft?
GLADSTONE: “You know what, we’re working through those dynamics, but in all likelihood
you won’t see any shifts. It’ll probably be something we address post-draft.”
Q. I don’t want to have you give away secrets, but the ‘intangibles test’that has kind of
become renowned that you were a big part of creating in Los Angeles, if you could give
those who may be unfamiliar with it what goes into that process and how you came up
with it.
GLADSTONE: “I think if you were to start, even in your own mind, coming up with whatever
skill sets on the field you would deem intangible, those are the things that I’m certainly
talking about. Then even as a person off the field, what anybody in our mind, we’re probably
all going to point to very similar descriptors, that’s really what I’m leaning into. One thing, I
think many people talk about, the idea of that being important to them. I really look forward
to showing our staff, our players and our fans that we’re going to be disciplined in
prioritizing it.”
Q. When you look at free agency just a couple weeks away, is it kind of a mad dash to
try to get everybody on the same page and the collaborative effort to make sure you’re
putting your best foot forward there?
GLADSTONE: “Our group has already been off to the races, so I’m onboarding in real time.
We’re meeting with the coaching staff and scouting staff here this week at the combine and
we’ll have a lot of deep discussions around how we’ll approach pro free agency throughout
this week. That’s not honestly atypical. That’s what a lot of people do. So, we’re not behind
in any way, shape, or form.”
Q. Question for Shad. When you look at what you have in your organization right now, a
first-time head coach, first-time GM, combined with Tony [Boselli] being whatever you
want to call him—a supporter, buffer, whatever—how do you feel about that
combination being a precursor for consistent success that you’ve been looking forever
since you owned the team?
SHAD KHAN: “I look at it really positively. I think we have great people and a great team of
people, even though they might be in the position for the first time. I think collectively
they’re going to have great success. I think one of the things—I think we’re all aware that
they’re new, but a huge amount of the potential to really grow into it. You’re referring to the
‘Peter Principle,’right? So that is, we’ve talked about it, you want to be aware of it. I asked
everyone, not only here but our coaching staff that are in that position for the first time, just
to be aware of that concept. Look it up on the phone. But I couldn’t be more excited,
frankly. I think the brainpower, the bandwidth, the different experience, are really
complementary. This is a team of football people, executives who are going to be success.
No one is a perfect human being. This isn’t about, ‘Hey, I’ve got X years of experience in
something.’ A lot of times it turns out to be one year of experience X times over. I just think
the brain matter here is going to be great for the Jaguars.”
Q. Tony Boselli, could you address the same thing? You had a lot of conversations with
Les about James. Now you’re seeing something very different with the first-time head
coach, first-time GM, and now you’re part of the process. How excited are you about
this combination which includes yourself?
TONY BOSELLI: “I’m extremely excited. I mean, I like the new title you gave me, ‘chief
supporter’ or ‘buffer?’ I’m going to put that on my business card. (Laughter). Listen, I’m
excited. It started with Liam becoming our head coach. It was clear as we sat with him and
his vision for how we wanted to play football. What the identity and the standard was going
to be at the Jacksonville Jaguars was exactly how I think about it. You guys know through all
the conversations I’ve had with you, about you’ve got to be tough physically, mentally,
smart football team that’s disciplined. That’s exactly how Liam looks at it.
As we went through the GM process together, first and foremost, it’s two things you’re
looking for. One, is it the right individual? The right makeup of the guy that will fit into what
we’re trying to build, the culture we’re trying to set in this building, and James knocked that
out of the park. But that’s not enough. Then you have to look at the ability and the acuity to
evaluate talent, have a process, the draft, free agency. Again, that’s a place where James
excelled, and we will see it day-after-day and year-after-year. The combination of Liam and
James and what we’re going to build here and the three of us together, we’re aligned, and
it’s going to be a collaboration. One of the things that we talk about, Liam and I have been
talking about it since day one and since James got here, it’s not about any one individual.
No egos, agendas. It’s about what happens on the grass. We’re going to keep the main thing
the main thing, and that’s winning football games, and that’s what we’re going to do. At the
end of the day we’re going to be judged by wins and losses, and that’s what we’re going to
focus on.”
Q. Shad, at what point in the process did James become the frontrunner and the clear
choice for you as your next general manager?
SHAD KHAN: “Well, I think you know the process was very extensive, and I think James was
the last one we had the four-hour in-person, and I think we met right after that, and it was
very evident to us that James was absolutely what we were looking for. We’re very blessed
to have him.”
Q. Liam, I know James punted a little bit on it, but do you remember your first
interaction with James when you arrived in Los Angeles, if you could share that story?
LIAM COEN: “Just a little bit. There was a collaboration within the coaching staff and the
scouting department when it came to the undrafted free agency process after the draft.
That was something that James was spearheading at the time. This is going back to 2018
when I first arrived there. He was spearheading that entire process, and I saw this guy
completely dominate that position. The ability to communicate with both scouting and the
coaches was just at such a different level than I was used to seeing somebody be able to
do. That was when you really started to see his process, his ability. It was really pretty cool
to watch his process growing up, and then see him continuing to evolve, it’s been awesome
to see.”
Q. Liam and Mark, staff is assembled now. It looks like a lot of common themes, at
least they talk the similar language offensively as you do. How important was that part
of it, that people understood what you were looking for, the language part of that, and
why was that important?
COEN: “Yeah, that’s a great question. The balanced attack that we want to have out on the
football field is the same exact attack that we were looking for within the building, within
the coaching staff, within the whole structure. Complementary pieces that, ultimately, will
lead us to the success we’re looking for. When you go and get a guy like [Offensive
Coordinator] Grant Udinski from Minnesota who obviously was pretty popular throughout
the offensive coordinator search this year, was coming from a direct position with the
Minnesota Vikings that he was hand-in-hand with [Vikings Head Coach] Kevin O’Connell
and that staff throughout the last couple years getting it to the point that it’s at right now,
and we speak the same language just so easily. A lot of the things that we look for that Tony
[Boselli] just mentioned, but also as you dive deeper and deeper into the daily rhythms and
how we communicate with each other, it’s been such a great transition, especially with him
spearheading at the offensive side of the ball.”
Q. Mark, can you give us an update on the Stadium of the Future construction? I see a
lot of cranes around, some early things happening at the stadium?
MARK LAMPING: “I’d be happy to, but before I do that, my role here today is to bring up the
average age at the table here. (Laughter). I also want to thank the mayor, and I see
members of the City Council and former City Council president Ron Salem. Thank you for
getting the stadium deal done, which also led to my being here this afternoon. I really
appreciate that. If you look outside, you’re going to see that there are some areas that are
fenced off. There’s some deep pile work that’s going on there. You’ll see a crane that’s in the
south end of the end zone. Work is going on. It commenced about 45 days ago. So far, no
surprises, but a long, long way to go.”
Q. Do you have an update or how close are you to deciding Orlando or Gainesville, and
when will everybody know?
LAMPING: “We’re probably within 30 to 45 days from submitting a report to the National
Football League, which will summarize our evaluation of all the alternatives. We’ll also
include a recommendation. The league will receive that. They’ll study that. We’ll have a lot
of back and forth. If we can get to a consensus, which I’m sure we’ll be able to do that, we’ll
then go through the normal NFL approval process. It would go to committee meetings in
advance of, probably the May owners’ meeting, and then if things advance through the
committee process, I think maybe by the May owners’ meeting, there may be something to
consider. Keep in mind, the approval process for a temporary stadium is the exact same as
extending a lease. So, we not only have to have the league approval, committee’s approval,
but also 75 percent of NFL owners agree.”
Q. Tony Boselli or Tony Khan, collaboration is a great buzz word, and I get it that that’s
an ideal being aligned. The last three coaching staffs here have pointed fingers like I’ve
never seen in my life at each other, the staff and the GM. Why do you think this is going
to be different?
BOSELLI: “First of all, we’re not going to worry about what happened in the past. We can’t
do anything about that, so let’s focus on where we’re going. At the end of the day, you’re
right. It’s easy to say those words, and ultimately, no matter what I tell you right now, we’ve
got to go prove it. The way you have collaboration, it starts with relationships that are built
on trust, and that’s what we’re establishing, and that’s how we’ll operate moving forward,
because at the end of the day if we keep the focus on what we’re trying to achieve, which is
win football games, nothing else should matter. Not our agendas, not our egos, who gets
credit. That’s when you get in trouble, whether it’s when I was a player, whenever people
start worrying about the wrong thing in the locker room, you’re not going to win games.
It’s no different now. So, we have to go prove it. We all believe that, and we’re going to work
towards that, but it starts with building relationships built on trust, and we’ll be just fine.”
Q. Does it feel different than what you’ve experienced here before as a player and even
as a close broadcaster?
BOSELLI: “Well, it’s hard for me to say because as a player there was only one person that
was collaborating with himself, and that was [former Head Coach] Tom Coughlin.
(Laughter). There was always full alignment and full collaboration. There were no
questions. (Laughter). I’m not going to speak to it because it would be unfair for me to
speak to what happened in the past in the building because I wasn’t in the building. I was
sitting with you knuckleheads out there talking about the team. (Laughter). I’m just worried
about where we’re going, and where we’re going is in the right direction with the right vision
with the right people. The three of us will work together. But at the end of the day, James’
job, my job, is to support Liam, our coaches and our players to give them all the tools,
resources and the ability to go on to the field every Sunday and do the best to try to win as
many possible games as we can.”
TONY KHAN: “Yeah, I totally agree with Tony [Boselli]. I think collaboration, like so many
things in life, is also partially about chemistry, and I think we’ve all gotten to spend some
time together. I think there is really good chemistry with the group. I think like Tony [Boselli]
said, the three of these guys all bring so much expertise, and one thing I think we all can
totally agree on is we want the best for the Jaguars, and the city and this group. I think this is
a really, really exciting time for the organization, everybody pulling in the same direction
with really a lot of expertise here and a lot of brain power, and also some really good people
at the table.”
Q. Not to look back too much, Tony Khan, but even though analytics have been part of
this thing since you stepped in the door, there hasn’t necessarily always been 100
percent push from everybody. You’ve got to convince people that this is the way to go.
Do you feel like this is an easy—
TONY KHAN: “Yes, I think this is a great group, a really forward-thinking group, and it’s a
great question because this is our 14th season here, and we’ve seen the league change a
lot. The Jaguars, but every team—all 32 teams—everybody who watches football has seen
elements of the game change, and some of that has, I think, been driven by the analytics
movement. I think all 32 teams have really pushed forward since we arrived here in 2012, in
addition to working we Jaguars with TruMedia Networks, we’re one of the leading
engineering firms for sports analytics in the world and can provide great support for the
Jaguars and continue doing that, too.”
Q. James, the former GM, his communication with us here was very minimal, and
when it did occur, it felt forced. What is your feeling on transparency with the media so
we can get your message to Jaguars fans?
GLADSTONE: “Yeah, I think being open and honest and opening the door so that you all
feel like you get what you need to do your job. At the end of the day, this is the
entertainment business, and we’ll treat it as such without interfering with our ability to do
well or have a competitive edge.”
Q. James and Liam, jokes aside, does the age thing bother you guys? Annoy you? Do
you not think about it? Use it as motivation? 39 and 34 years old, first time. What is
your thoughts on that? Do you care? I’m just interested in how you guys address that.
GLADSTONE: “Technically, I don’t know that we’ve actually talked about our age at all. The
interesting thing, I do think we both start from a place of humility, and I think that that
makes a lot of stuff easy and seamless, while at the same time there’s this aura of
confidence and understanding that we have a dynamic asset, and that is our ability to see
what tools are available and apply and execute those within our spheres. I don’t know that
age has ever been something that my mind has ever gone to as a part of this process, and
we certainly haven’t even brought it up in any conversations.”
COEN: “I’ve got nothing to say. (Laughter).”
Q. It sort of seems like it might bother you a little bit, Liam.
COEN: “No, it has not come up whatsoever.”
Q. But you hear about it out there?
BOSELLI: “It bothers me because I’m old. I mean, I wish I was 39 and 34. It sounds a lot
better than 52. (Laughter).”
COEN: “No, it’s great. This is a league where you have to be able to connect with people
that are coming out of college. They’re coming out of college. They’re coming from an NIL
landscape, from the transfer portal landscape. This game is ever evolving and ever-
changing, as we’ve talked about. Can we connect with the players? That to me is all that
really matters. Can the staff, the personnel department, Tony [Boselli], can we all connect
with these players to be able to get the best product on the field. That’s really all that
matters.”
JOHN DEVER: “I’d like to take a moment to recognize a few of our elected officials in the
audience today, starting with the Jacksonville City Council of which several members are
here today. Thank you each for being here and for your support. (Applause). Likewise, our
Jacksonville mayor, Donna Deegan, who I believe wants to share a few words with
Jacksonville’s newest residents.”
DONNA DEEGAN: “I just want to offer a formal and very excited welcome, James, to you
and your young family, Julie, and I believe we call her Bean; is that right? We’re calling
Sabine, Bean? She is adorable. But I want to give a special shout out to Julie because she is
about a blink away from delivering her next child, your next child, and I am just so thrilled
you have chosen to bring your young family to unabashedly and completely unbiasedly, the
most wonderful, perfect, terrific city on the face of the earth. We’re thrilled that we’re going
to have young fans and a new one that will be a native, but anything that we can do to make
your stay here and hopefully a very long stay, a good one, please let us all know. You have
the love of the Jaguars fans with you already, and welcome to Jacksonville.”
