2 key things Jaguars GM James Gladstone got right in 2025 & 2 things he missed

The Jacksonville Jaguars went from the depths of despair to a 13-win division champion in a year's time. That's thanks in large part to young general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen.

Many of the Jags' past hires at those key posts had fundamental flaws. We're a long way from Trent Baalke and Urban Meyer. Turns out, pulling a long-tenured front office guy from the Los Angeles Rams, and an offensive genius from the Sean McVay coaching tree, adds up to something pretty special.

But Gladstone is only 35 years young. Still learning on the job. Some of his personnel moves to spark the 2025 Jags were brilliant, but he wasn't perfect.

Here's a closer look at some of the defining transactions Gladstone made — and why the arrow is pointing way up even with some of his more minor missteps.

James Gladstone nailed Travis Hunter trade & another (more obvious) home-run deal

Lots of folks in real actual life will tell you Travis Hunter's move to cornerback is proof he was overdrafted. Or that Gladstone shouldn't have traded a 2026 first-round pick to move up for him last year.

Well, best of luck to the Browns finding a superstar with the 24th overall pick in a weak draft class. Hunter is about to fulfill his destiny as an All-Pro, game-changing defender in the meantime.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels this type of way. Rushing to judge Travis Hunter and the years-long ramifications of that trade is certainly a choice. I'll bet on Hunter, thank you very much!

I'll hear an argument that the jury is still out on how Hunter will fare as a pro. The trade will remain polarizing, even if Mason Graham doesn't prove to be an elite defensive tackle in Cleveland. I maintain that Hunter was well worth the cost and risk. He proved last season that he can play both ways in the NFL when healthy.

One big reason Hunter is moving to defense on a fuller-time basis is thanks to Gladstone's deadline trade to acquire Jakobi Meyers. The veteran wideout's presence immediately transformed the offense. After one game to get acclimated, Meyers was key to Jacksonville's eight-game winning streak to end the regular season.

Another great aspect of the Meyers trade on Gladstone's end: He proactively extended Meyers on a three-year contract. No offseason limbo or uncertainty. Nipped the new deal in the bud. Well done.

Greg Newsome & Tim Patrick trades didn’t pan out, but weren’t the end of the world

Gladstone traded a 2026 sixth-rounder to Detroit in exchange for wide receiver Tim Patrick back in late August. Patrick had to grind his way back from missing the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He became a key contributor for the NFC No. 1-seeded Lions in 2024.

That Patrick trade was sort of the strange cousin that preceded The Meyers Vegas Heist as I colloquially refer to it.

Again, the Jags are just blessed with a loaded wide receiver corps. Parker Washington's emergence limited Patrick's ability to make an impact. Nevertheless, he did have three TDs among his 15 receptions in 2025.

The fact that Patrick is probably not re-signing in Jacksonville this offseason is less an indictment of him or the trade and more a reflection of the Jags' surplus of pass-catchers.

As for Greg Newsome, well, Gladstone went back to the trade well with the Browns to swap Day 3 picks and Tyson Campbell. Not the greatest move when viewed in isolation. However, the calculated risk wasn't so much to do with what the personnel department thought of Campbell as a player. It was a cost-saving maneuver designed to free up cap space for other key 2026 free agents.

So in effect, Gladstone's "misses" on moves actually wound up working out in the bigger picture. Patrick was the blueprint for the eventual, awesome Meyers trade. Getting rid of Campbell frees up Jacksonville more to re-sign All-Pro linebacker Devin Lloyd and tailback Travis Etienne Jr.

Not a bad Year 1 on the job, Young Gladstone!