After falling short in a bid to land the Raiders’ general manager job, Champ Kelly is still headed to Las Vegas. The Raiders hired the longtime Bears executive to be their assistant GM on Wednesday.
While Kelly has spent the past seven years in Chicago, rising to the role of assistant director of player personnel, he worked with new Raiders HC Josh McDaniels during his brief Denver stay. Kelly was with the Broncos before and after McDaniels’ stint but rose to the post of assistant pro personnel director while McDaniels was running the show from 2009-10.
Kelly has been a GM candidate for a bit now, interviewing with the Broncos and Panthers last year. The Bears interviewed him for their GM role last month but ended up hiring Chiefs exec Ryan Poles. Kelly will now be new Raiders GM Dave Ziegler‘s right-hand man in the revamped Vegas front office. Ziegler also worked alongside Kelly with the Broncos during McDaniels’ stay, beginning his personnel career after Kelly had already arrived in Denver.
The 2022 season will mark Kelly’s 16th in the NFL. He began as a Broncos scout in 2007. The Bears hired him to be their pro scouting director in 2015. Unlike McDaniels and Ziegler, Kelly has no ties to the Patriots. Mark Davis has cleaned house in recent weeks, fully moving on from the Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock power structure.
Does this mean the Bears get supplemental picks or does it have to GM and not assistant GM
That’s the first thing you think about when you hear Champ Kelly’s leaving?
I’m sorry…OMG, I can believe the Bears let a promising minority candidate leave their front office. Even though they filled the GM and assistant GM positions with minority candidates. I hope that makes you feel better.
When are they going to start putting coaching staff together
Yawn
So we are basically getting the 2009 Broncos staff. Rad upgrade there Mark.
What is over under on McClown running this team straight into the ground. In 2 years. Maybe by that time Belicheat will retire and Kraft won’t be able to perform on his “ massages” and ole McClown will be brought in to save the Pats like Clark Kent