Former Chargers executive likely to be interviewed for GM position by AFC West rival

The Raiders would like to speak with Tom Telesco.

The longstanding general manager of the Raiders’ fierce rivals in Los Angeles, Tom Telesco, will be interviewed by Raiders owner Mark Davis for the same position in Las Vegas, in an unexpected move.

The Raiders believe that Telesco has potential; he acquired multiple star players in Los Angeles and could theoretically do the same in Vegas. Telesco was relieved of his duties by Chargers ownership last month as the organization hit the reset button amid ongoing struggles to contend for a Super Bowl championship.

Telesco’s mixed results in Los Angeles
The Chargers named Telesco their general manager before the 2013 NFL season. In his first campaign with newly-appointed head coach Mike McCoy, Telesco’s personnel decisions helped the Bolts (then playing in San Diego) qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2009, and the team upset the Cincinnati Bengals to make the divisional round.

But further consistency — and success — eluded the Chargers after 2013. The team completed a move to Los Angeles before it qualified for the playoffs again in 2018, and the Chargers did not return to the postseason until 2022 — when they blew a 27-0 lead in Jacksonville and lost 31-30 to the Jaguars on wild card weekend.

Prior to his dismissal on Dec. 15 — the day after his Chargers were demolished 63-21 by the Raiders — Telesco had built an undoubtedly talented but flawed roster, with star players such as Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen, and Khalil Mack among the best at their positions in the NFL. But an inability to draft well — along with several gut-punch free-agent contracts — meant Los Angeles was never really close to contending under Telesco or any of the three head coaches he hired.

In Telesco’s 10 years leading the front office, the Chargers had a mediocre 84-92 record and never progressed beyond the divisional round of the playoffs.

Under interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who guided Las Vegas to a 5-4 record in his nine games in command, the Raiders concluded the 2023 season with a respectable record. Nevertheless, whether or not the temporary tag is taken off of Pierce’s name, this is still a failing team that has to be reorganized.

The Raiders have only had a winning record twice in the last 21 seasons. The Raiders outscored their opponents over the course of the whole season for the first time since 2016—the year the team was located in Oakland. Star players that the future general manager/head coach combination can build around are players like Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby, who seem to want to be in Las Vegas.

Whatever they choose to hire, the Raiders are a strong contender to move up in the 2024 draft to choose a long-term quarterback to replace Derek Carr. If they are successful in making this decision, it might finally bring much-needed prosperity to a long-suffering franchise.