Telesco and the Raiders have scheduled an interview, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Champ Kelly has led a
front office before, but Telesco is the only contender in this campaign with prior front office experience. This is his
first association with a general manager position since he and Brandon Staley were sacked by the Bolts after the
Raiders crushed them 63-21 in the previous month.
Telesco, who moved from Indianapolis to San Diego in 2013, had rosters in Southern California that were generally
well-regarded. Despite not having a reputation for large spending, the Chargers received a lot of excitement throughout Telesco’s tenure. During Telesco’s tenure, the Bolts hired Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, and Staley as their
first-ever head coaches. All of them qualified for the postseason, although under Telesco, the Bolts were only 3-for-11
in postseason appearances.
Nevertheless, Telesco was able to create a quarterback pipeline from Justin Herbert to Philip Rivers. This past
offseason, Telesco locked down Herbert, a top player, through the 2029 campaign with an extension. The Chargers’
head coach position is now highly desirable due to that arrangement. In the first round, Telesco also selected Pro
Bowlers Derwin James, Joey Bosa, and Rashawn Slater; in the third round, he selected perennial Pro Bowler Keenan
Allen. The Chargers frequently suffered late-game setbacks due to injuries, with their most well-known setback
occurring in a 27-point wild-card collapse against the Jaguars.
The 51-year-old Telesco was once a stalwart for Bill Polian. He was in Buffalo, Carolina, and Indianapolis with the
Hall of Fame executive. Before being hired by the Chargers eleven years ago, he worked for one season under Ryan
Grigson after moving up through the scouting ranks to become the Colts’ director of player personnel under Polian.
He also won a Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis in 2006. According to PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, the
Raiders’ current GM pursuit looks like this:
Interview requested with Trey Brown, senior personnel executive (Bengals)
Interview requested with Ed Dodds, assistant general manager (Colts)
Vice president of player personnel for the Bills, Terrance Gray: Anticipating an interview
Champ Kelly, the Raiders’ acting general manager: To speak with assistant general manager Adam Peters of the
49ers: Interview with former General Manager (Chargers), Tom Telesco requested: To Conduct Interviews
