It’s a new era in Duval County.
The Jacksonville Jaguars finally did the thing, fully cleaning house of the old regime that left many fans wanting more after a miracle playoff run in 2023. This team wasn’t very good last year, which is why they picked inside the top five, but something about this era just feels different. There’s optimism and hope around the facility. Not only in a first year that could be promising, but for an established future in a division where everything is in flux.
What did the Jaguars do to create so much hope? Let’s look into it.
Coaching Staff
I would argue that the Jaguars were a fairly talented team that was undermined by coaching in 2024. That doesn’t feel like the case anymore after Jaguars’ owner Shad Khan fired former head coach Doug Pederson and cleaned out the staff. In a widely scrutinized and chaotic process, Khan and the Jaguars’ brass had to choose between keeping incumbent GM Trent Baalke and risk losing out on the promising head coach pool, or fire the GM who got you into this mess in the first place. Khan and the Jags chose the latter, firing Baalke after Liam Coen said that he wouldn’t work with him and threatened to (and almost did) take an extension with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to stay as their offensive coordinator. In the middle of the night, after not actually signing the extension with the Bucs, Coen turned around and took the Jaguars’ job, which is objectively one of the funniest moves of all time.
After hiring Coen, the Jaguars got busy with their staff moves. Grant Udinski comes from Minnesota to be the offensive coordinator (Coen will call plays) and Anthony Campanile comes from the Packers’ ecosystem to be the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator. On top of that, Jacksonville hired young upstart James Gladstone to be the GM. The collective group of Coen, Gladstone, Udinski and Campanile has to be the youngest braintrust in the NFL this year (and possibly of all time). Gladstone is 34 years old, the youngest GM in the NFL. Campanile is 42 and considered the old dog in the room, as Coen comes in at 39 years old and Udinski is 29.
Jacksonville is taking a risk with all the youth in the room, but with that youth comes opportunity. There’s a chance they all grow together and become something special, and for that there’s a lot of optimism.
Grade: A-
Free Agency
The Jaguars had a relatively quiet free agency, spending most of their time getting rid of players that the former regime signed to bloated deals. WR Christian Kirk got traded to the Texans for a 2026 seventh round pick, TE Evan Engram was released, as was WR Gabe Davis. Stalwart guard Brandon Scherff was also released, making sure that this would be a new era for the Jaguars. Gladstone said that he wanted to raise the floor of the team through free agency, with less splashy signings and more underrated veteran moves. The biggest deal was for former Cowboys nickel corner Jourdan Lewis, who will probably start on defense alongside free agent signing Eric Murray.
Along with those two, the team signed guard Patrick Mekari, center Robert Hainsey, wide receiver Dyami Brown and other smaller free agency signings to help fill out the depth of the team. Nothing outstanding, but all solid choices.
Grade: B
NFL Draft
Gladstone and the Jags came into the NFL Draft wanting to make a splash, and they made the biggest one of the weekend, sending the fifth overall pick and a 2026 first round pick to the Cleveland Browns to jump to number 2 and take Colorado WR/DB Travis Hunter. The move signals a new era for the Jaguars, being aggressive and going to get the guy who was the biggest ceiling raiser in the entire draft. Did it come with a price? Absolutely, but given who they traded up for I believe they would do it every time. Outside of the Hunter pick, the Jaguars’ draft class had some really solid swings. Tulane safety Caleb Ransaw has the versatility to play safety or nickel and West Virginia guard Wyatt Milum brings some needed physicality to the group up front. Perhaps the most interesting picks are both RBs selected on Day 3. Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten and Syracuse’s LeQuint Allen both bring different things to the RB room, but could see playing time early. Tuten is the fastest RB in the entire class and can take a play to the house at any second, and Allen caught over 60 passes last season at Syracuse.
Overall, the Hunter pick carries a lot of weight, but a good top to bottom class.
Grade: B+
Jacksonville Jaguars final 2025 Offseason Grade
If the Jaguars’ goal was to get up off the mat this offseason, they did so in a big way. The coaching staff hires were the best part of the offseason, and it reflected in the way that they drafted and were aggressive for the best player in the class. They needed to get the stink from the old regime off of them, and for the most part, they succeeded.
While the player acquisition didn’t have the big splashy names, I think most of them will be effective and help this team get out of the hole they found themselves in last season. It’s easy to say they’ll improve from 4-13, but just how much is still to be seen.
Overall, this was a solid offseason for the Jaguars, the first step in a multi-year plan.
Grade: B+
