The Jacksonville Jaguars will soon conclude their search for a general manager. While several intriguing candidates interviewed for the position, only one will get the job. According to a recent scoop, it looks like a favorite has emerged.
Cameron Wolfe of NFL Media reported during an apperance on The Insiders that Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham is someone to keep an eye on in the search, noting that his name has been trending up. Moreover, the Jags will have picked a candidate by the weekend, and whoever gets the job will be making the trip to the 2025 scouting combine.
"I'm told they finish up those interviews Friday, a decision hopefully made this weekend, and they can start with their new general manager on Monday, as they start to head for the combine," Wolfe said. "A lot of their front office and coaching members are already prepping for the combine, talking to a couple people in Duval told me to keep an eye on their Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham."
Cunningham, "They'll certainly go through second round of interviews, but he's a name that has certainly popped up as a top candidate for that job. Once they fill that job, it goes into fixing this Jacksonville Jaguar team, and a lot of the focus will be on Trevor Lawrence and what's good for him."
Cunningham is one of the finalists for the Jaguars general manager job. The others are interim Ethan Waugh, Los Angeles Rams director of scouting strategy James Gladstone, Green Bay Packers vice president of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan, and San Francisco 49ers director/scouting and football operations Josh Williams.
Later in his appearance, Wolfe said that the Jaguars will proritize safety Jevon Holland in free agency. The Miami Dolphins won't be appling the franchise tag on the former Oregon Duck, so he'll tentatively be available in the open market. Below's the full exchange:
Decision on new Jaguars GM is expected this weekend as they finish 2nd interviews with finalists. Then, focus on work to improve the squad. Keep an eye on defense additions, in particular, in free agency under new DC Anthony Campanile.
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) February 19, 2025
More from @nflnetwork The Insiders on Jags: pic.twitter.com/rgw2cCCiRs
Related story:
Ian Cunningham has a compelling case to become the next Jaguars GM
Not long ago, J.P. Shadrick argued that Ethan Waugh's experience at the position could give him a leg up in the process. However, he might've been referring to his familiarity with how the Jacksonville Jaguars operate.
On the other hand, James Gladstone has gotten rave reviews from many members of the Los Angeles Rams organization. That said, Ian Cunningham should also have a favorable chance of getting the job based on his work as an NFL executive.
Cunningham got his start as an executive with the Baltimore Ravens, where he learned from general manager Ozzie Newsome. He later bolted for the Philadelphia Eagles. There, he watched front-office executive Howie Roseman assemble a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
And after working his way up, Cunningham became the assistant general manager for the Chicago Bears. Like most finalists for the Jaguars job, he's never held the position before but his resume is promising enough to make you think he'll excel in Jacksonville.
Now, anything could happen, but Ian Cunningham should most definitely be a favorite to become the next general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars.