The Jacksonville Jaguars continue their search for a general manager after dismissing general manager Trent Baalke. They've met with several intriguing candidates and should round out the process soon. That said, the Jags threw a curveball at everyone when they added an unexpected name to the search.
The team announced late on Valentine's Day that they had completed an interview with Las Vegas Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly. This was a bit surprising because they hadn't previously said that they were meeting with him.
We have completed an interview with Champ Kelly for our General Manager position.
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) February 15, 2025
This concludes our virtual interviews and we will begin in-person interviews next week. pic.twitter.com/v1alQ8lam9
In the same breath, no insider had a scoop about the interview. This stands out because, throughout the process, there were reports about Jacksonville meeting with several candidates before it officially announced that it had placed requests to meet with candidates.
For instance, Albert Breer reported before the Jags started the process that former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson was in the mix for the vacancy. However, his name wasn't in the first round of requests. He ended up interviewing.
Looking at how the process has unfolded, it's hard to tell — at least, from an outside perspective — why there were no reports about the Kelly interview. That said, he's as qualified, if not more, than most of the candidates that have interviewed for the job.
Kelly began his front-office career in the National Indoor Football League in 2007 and became a college scout for the Denver Broncos one year later. He then joined the Chicago Bears in 2010 and worked his way up until becoming the assistant general manager for the Raiders in 2022.
It's worth pointing out that Kelly interviewed twice for the Raiders general manager job. He was the runner-up both times, losing to Dave Ziegler in 2022 and Tom Telesco in 2024.
When the Raiders fired Ziegler, Kelly served as the interim. It's uncertain if he'll remain part of the Las Vegas plans in the foreseeable future after John Spytek became the general manager, so it makes sense for him to look for other opportunities.
Champ Kelly is an intriguing candidate for the Jaguars GM job
Like many of the other candidates — Jon Robinson notwithstanding — for the Jaguars general manager job, Champ Kelly has never held the position full-time. That said, he's got an intriguing track record, especially during his time with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The past two years, the Silver & Black looked for players at the bottom of the barrel and ended up with several gems. Cornerback Jack Jones comes to mind, and so does defensive tackle Adam Butler. The same is true for edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson (remember him?), who was at last able to hit his stride last year.
There's also the Raiders' successful 2024 draft: Tight end Brock Bowers, offensive lineman, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and offensive tackle DJ Glaze. All three went on to become starters. Of course, you cannot truly measure how much of a role Kelly played in picking all three, but he most definitely was part of the process.
The bottom line is that Kelly has what it takes to become the next general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he's far from the only appealing candidate. The organization should wrap up the search soon, but based on the interviews they have had, they'll end up with a capable executive.