The Las Vegas Raiders have their next general manager.
The Raiders are finalizing a deal to hire former Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco as their next general manager, according to The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Sources: All signs point to the #Raiders hiring former #Chargers GM Tom Telesco as their new GM. A surprise!
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 23, 2024
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
Telesco will replace David Ziegler in Las Vegas. Ziegler was fired midway through the season, as was head coach Josh McDaniels. Both Ziegler and McDaniels were in the middle of their second season with the team when they were fired.
Telesco was fired by the Chargers along with head coach Brandon Staley in December following a brutal 63-21 loss to the Raiders. Telesco had been in that role with the Chargers since 2013, but reached the playoffs just three times.
Telesco will now join the Raiders, who will also have a new head coach next fall. The Raiders removed the interim tag and promoted Antonio Pierce to officially replace McDaniels moving forward. Pierce went 5-4 with the team in the interim role and quickly won over the locker room.
The Raiders were reportedly "locked in" on either promoting interim general manager Champ Kelly to the full time role or hiring Indianapolis Colts assistant general manager Ed Dodds just last week, according to The Athletic's Tashan Reed. The team, however, "got cold feet" about pairing a first time general manager with Pierce, who is now stepping into his first head coaching job in the league. Telesco, with a decade of experience under his belt, appears to be a safer choice.
Telesco and Pierce will now be tasked with getting the Raiders — who haven’t won a playoff game since the 2002 campaign — back to the postseason for just the second time since relocating to Las Vegas.
