The Jacksonville Jaguars have made several important additions to their coaching staff in the past few weeks. However, they have yet to make a strong effort to find a replacement for general manager Trent Baalke, who got kicked to the curb after hindering the team's search for a head coach. That said, a prominent NFL insider says there's a clearcut favorite for the opening.
In his latest podcast, Adam Schefter of ESPN talked about the circumstances that led to the Jags' pursuit of their new head coach Liam Coen, pointing out that their desperation pushed them to fire Baalke.
"I think Jacksonville was desperate, that's what I think. I think that they recognized that they missed out on Ben Johnson. They had an issue. They took steps to correct the issue after they should have, and it led them down a road that led them to piss off Tampa, get the guy they want." Schefter told Ty Schmidt. "Look, I've said this, but Liam Cohen deserves the right to get a head coaching job. Deserves the right to land the big money, and they're one of 32 jobs. Should've done it."
Schefter continued, "But the Buccaneers felt like they should have been kept in the loop more than they were, and not that they were blindsided when it came out that he was there at about six o'clock on Thursday night, or whatever that was. But the situation, I think everybody would have handled it a bit differently, the Jaguars, Liam Cohn, maybe the Buccaneers too. It just created a wild scene that now goes down as one of the wilder head-coach hiring cycle stories that I can remember."
Later in the exchange, Shefter states that Ian Cunningham is someone to keep an eye on in the search for a new general manager, arguing that he should be in contention for the vacancy.
"And I think here's a name that we need to have on our radar. I'm not saying he gets the job, but I will say that he's going to be in contention for the job: The Bears assistant general manager, Ian Cunningham. He's going to be a candidate for that job. Some would say he might be the leading candidate for the Jaguar GM job," Schefter said."
"I don't know if he's the leading guy or a guy, but he's certainly going to be in the mix and a candidate to become the next general manager of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Watch that name, Ian Cunningham. His time is coming."
Cunningham has been a hot name in recent hiring cycles. He got his start with the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 and worked his way up to area scout. He then bolted for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 and became an assistant general manager for the Chicago Bears two years ago.
You could make the case that the Bears haven't been good at drafting in recent years, but that should fall on general manager Ryan Poles, who has the last say in roster decisions. But leaving aside his stint in the Windy City, Cunningham has learned from two of the best in the business. Back in Baltimore, Ozzie Newsome took him under his wing, and he later worked his chops with Howie Roseman, who's taken the Philadelphia Eagles to three Super Bowls in the past nine years.
Below is Schefter discussing thoughts on the Liam Coen saga. his remarks about the Jaguars start at the 14:33 mark.
Ian Cunningham is an appealing option, but the Jaguars must conduct an extensive search
As Adam Schefter said, it's not a given that Ian Cunningham will become the general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But he should most definitely garner consideration based on his track record. In fact, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated believes that the Bears assistant general manager is in the mix, but so are Jags interim general manager and former Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson.
The truth is that it's hard to tell who'll end up filling the vacancy at this stage of the process. There's a chance that Jacksonville is vetting candidates and has already started doing due diligence. However, they haven't announced any interviews yet.
Either way, the Jaguars must make sure they hire a general manager who can be on the same page with Liam Coen. That was rarely the case with Trent Baalke and their past head coaches.