Raiders Hired Tom Telesco To Be Their GM
As we prepare for the Championship games this weekend, NFL transactions continue. One such transaction is that the Las Vegas Raiders have hired Tom Telesco to be their new GM. Unlike Antonio Pierce, interim GM Champ Kelly was not awarded the permanent position. Kelly is under contract and could stay with the team as assistant general manager. However, since he and Telesco interviewed for the General Manager position things could get awkward. That’s an issue the Raiders will have to address.
Telesco was formerly with the Chargers from 2013 to 2023. He and head coach Brandon Staley were fired in December 2023 prior to the end of the season. While with the Chargers, Telesco helped to build strong, talented rosters. And hit on several draft picks including current quarterback Justin Herbert. Prior to joining the Chargers he was with the Indianapolis Colts and held several positions. His last one being Vice President of Football Operations.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Telesco is expected to add experience to the organization’s front office. Rapoport said, “… he is a veteran voice, certainly knows the division extremely well, … and for Antonio Pierce this makes a lot of sense too. A first time head coach just been in the NFL for 18 months as an assistant coach. He now gets a really veteran voice to build this thing with.” So although the hiring was a surprise it could work out well.
However, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is skeptical. Pointing out that the Raiders blew out the Chargers 21-63 in Week 15. Further adding to the speculation is Chris Simms. He said that General Managers are generally one and done. Once they get fired they usually don’t get consideration for any future open GM positions. Florio provided several examples in his article.
Raiders Hired Tom Telesco To Be Their GM
However, one aspect from Mike Florio’s article about GMs not receiving additional chances is of note. Florio reveals,
“Former Falcons G.M. Thomas Dimitroff, who built a consistent winner in Atlanta over more than a decade, never gets mentioned. Former Giants G.M. Jerry Reese, who was a two-time Super Bowl winner, has disappeared. Former Texans G.M. Rick Smith, who built a contender in Houston, never got another chance. Former Chiefs G.M. Scott Pioli, who won the Executive of the Year award multiple times with the Patriots, has never been seriously mentioned for G.M. jobs. Former Vikings G.M. Rick Spielman, who drafted and developed and held together talented teams for nearly a generation in Minnesota, resurfaced this year not as a candidate to be G.M. of the Commanders but as someone who is consulting in the search for a G.M. and a head coach.”
Very interesting, especially since Telesco’s recent work has been unsuccessful; yet he’s been quickly hired. Therefore, things can either go very well or extremely south. Nevertheless, we hope it works out for the sake of the fans and the new head coach.
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