Not yet three years removed from becoming the first player in Jacksonville Jaguars history enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Tony Boselli has taken on another lofty designation within the franchise.
Boselli on Monday was named the Jaguars' executive vice president of football operations.
Now officially a prominent member of the franchise once again, Boselli believes the 4-13 2024 Jaguars can become winners in short order.
"I don't think we're far; I really don't," Boselli said this week, via the team website’s John Oehser.
As the Jaguars enter yet another new era with rookie head coach Liam Coen at the helm and a search for a new general manager underway, Boselli has emerged as an important voice and face for the franchise.
He was part of the coaching hunt that landed Coen and will now be part of landing the successor to former GM Trent Baalke, with whom owner Shad Khan and the franchise parted ways in January.
As it plays out in the latest Jags power shakeup, Boselli, Coen and the future GM hire will all report to Khan.
Boselli says he will be in a supporting role more than anything else as he looks to aid in his prediction of a quick Jacksonville turnaround.
"We are going to hire a GM whose responsibility will be to pick players, go through free agency, the draft," Boselli said. "Liam is going to have a very, very big role influence voice in that process. We are going to make sure we are always aligned. I love football and I will assist them how they need, but that's not my job.
"My job is not to pick players. My job is not to coach. My job is to support them and that's what I'll do."
Boselli is intent on supporting Coen and building a productive, positive culture.
The 52-year-old believes that will be possible with the right GM hire, a person who is in line with Coen's outlook.
"We are committed to make sure we have a strong building, a strong culture," Boselli said. "It'll be Liam's culture. He is the voice, he's the head coach of this organization, it's his team. He's going to dictate how we do things on the field, what the culture is.
"We're here to support him. When our GM gets named, we will work together. We will be aligned. When we pick a player, it's our player. He's a Jaguar. It's not that guy's pick or this guy wanted him. That's not how we're going to operate.
"It's going to be our player and when we win, we won. When we lose, we lost. We're not going to blame, we're not going to point the finger."
Boselli was the No. 2 overall selection of the 1995 NFL Draft and played for Jacksonville from 1995-2001, going to five Pro Bowls and earning a trio of All-Pro distinctions.
He never played under the umbrella of Khan's ownership, which began in 2012.
However, after serving as a radio announcer for the team and a contributor to the Jags' website, Boselli has become a trusted voice for the owner during a turbulent offseason.
The Jags have moved on from Doug Pederson to Coen and from Baalke to a future successor.
They're also now looking to the franchise's greatest former player to navigate through choppy waters and one could opine that Boselli is familiar with quick success.
Ravaged by injuries, his career was just seven seasons in total. It was long enough for him to forge a tenure that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, though.
The Jags are hoping his guiding presence will help them back to success after a lost season.
Said Boselli: "All that matters to me is winning."
