With new head coach Antonio Pierce officially in place, the Las Vegas Raiders are now reportedly set to hire a new general manager.
The Raiders will reportedly be hiring Tom Telesco, former Los Angeles Chargers general manager, to the same role.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport had the news first on Tuesday.
Sources: All signs point to the #Raiders hiring former #Chargers GM Tom Telesco as their new GM. A surprise!
Telesco built one of the NFL’s best rosters over a decade with the rival Chargers. Now, he’s expected to stay in the division. pic.twitter.com/bJuXuAx39n
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2024
Telesco was the general manager of the Chargers from 2013-23, with his tenure ending following a 63-21 loss to the Raiders in Week 15, which also led to Chargers head coach Brandon Staley’s firing.
While Telesco’s time with the Chargers resulted in just three playoff appearances, he was praised for drafting quarterback Justin Herbert, who has become Los Angeles’ franchise quarterback.
Before joining the Chargers, Telesco held a variety of front-office positions with the Indianapolis Colts from 1998-2012. He was the team’s director of player personnel when they defeated the Chicago Bears to win Super Bowl 42.
Telesco’s NFL career began in 1995 with the expansion Carolina Panthers, where he worked as a scouting assistant and area scout before leaving the team for the Colts.
Telesco’s first order of business with the Raiders will likely be figuring out their plan at quarterback. The team holds the 13th pick in April’s draft and the new GM will have to decide if he wants to stick with Aidan O’Connell, who threw 12 touchdown passes in 11 games, see if Jimmy Garoppolo has anything left to offer after being benched in favor of O’Connell last season, or if the Raiders want to trade up for a quarterback or see who is left at pick 13.
