Jaguars Hire Former Franchise Cornerstone as Executive

Former Jacksonville lineman Tony Boselli on the field prior to a Sept. 29 game between the Jaguars and Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in Houston. Jack Gorman/Getty Images

A Jacksonville Jaguars legend will lead the team’s new era.

The Jaguars announced Monday that Tony Boselli will join the team as executive vice president of football operations. Boselli is a Hall of Famer and a Jaguars legend: He was the first player drafted by the team in 1995. The Jaguars are in the midst of a full-scale regime change after firing head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke. The team has filled the head coach vacancy, hiring former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen last month.

“Few people have better relationships throughout the NFL, know the game, and understand the value of strong team identity and culture as well as Tony Boselli,” Jaguars owner Shad Khan said in a press release from the team. “Tony has a wealth of football acumen that we respect and need, and his counsel will be tremendously valuable to me and our football leadership team during this current rebirth and for many seasons to come.”

“My passion for this team, these fans and this city has defined my football life, to the point it is now engrained in my family’s legacy,” Boselli said in the release. “Today, that relationship has evolved to include this exciting opportunity, and I find my emotions remarkably similar to what I felt upon being drafted as a Jacksonville Jaguar in 1995. I am so excited and deeply humbled to work with and alongside Shad Khan, the Khan Family, Liam Coen, our new general manager and the entire Jaguars front office. We will come together to build a lasting foundation and winning tradition that Jaguars fans will be proud of.”

In addition to his duties as a decision maker for the team, Boselli will handle player engagement, football technology, travel and logistics, sports performance, team security and football communications. He will also serve as liaison between the football team and the rest of the Jaguars organization. Together, Boselli, Coen, and the yet-to-be-hired general manager will “form a football leadership unit that will collaborate and align on all major football decisions, develop a long-term strategy for sustainable on-field success, and provide counsel to the team owner,” the team stated.

Boselli was drafted second overall in the 1995 NFL Draft, the first player drafted by Jacksonville in its inaugural season. He played in 91 regular-season games and six playoff games over seven seasons as the Jaguars’ left tackle, serving as the frontside blocker for quarterback Mark Brunell and as a road grader for running back Fred Taylor. He gave up just 15.5 sacks in those seven years while leading Taylor to 3,500 yards and 32 touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl five times and was a three-time All-Pro selection. He was a member of the NFL’s All-Decade teams for the 1990s, and was the first player to be named to the Pride of the Jaguars—the team’s ring of honor—in 2006. He was listed as No. 1 on the Jaguars’ All-25 in 2019, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2022.

After football, Boselli continued to serve the team and the Jacksonville community. He served as a game day radio analyst for the team and a contributor to their official website. He also worked as a sideline reporter and analyst for Thursday Night Football on Westwood One. He also serves as an NFL Legends ambassador, representing the team throughout the local community.

He has had a successful business career outside of football. He invested in a number of local franchises with Brunell and is a partner at a marketing firm with other former teammates. In 2013, he founded a company called Healthy Schools, which provides free vaccinations and physicals to students in Florida and Texas. He sold the company to CareDox in 2016 and served as an executive until he joined Optum as vice president of transformation growth. From there, he joined healthcare company all.health as president and chief growth officer.