The Raiders are giving quick hooks to both their 2024 power brokers. Two days after Antonio Pierce‘s ouster, Tom Telesco is gone. The Raiders announced the veteran GM’s firing Thursday.
Telesco was believed to be safe after Pierce’s firing, as teams almost never make GMs one-and-dones. That will happen to Telesco, whose Brock Bowers draft choice did not prove enough for the Raiders to justify a second season. As Las Vegas searches for a new head coach, the team will clear the decks to pair that to-be-determined leader with a front office boss.
The team’s HC search is directly tied to Telesco’s dismissal. A search for two leaders at the same time appealed to the Raiders more than potentially forcing a head coach on an incumbent GM, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes. This will be a tough blow for Telesco, who has now been fired twice since December 2023.
Given tremendous power as a minority owner, Tom Brady‘s fingerprints are involved here. The broadcaster/part-owner discussed the situation with Mark Davis, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, and those conversations pointed the team in the direction of a full-on new start. Telesco, 52, was also not involved in the decision to fire Pierce, Tafur adds. Considering Brady’s influence now, Telesco was set to have his power curbed had he been retained for a second year. But this firing likely closes the book on his GM career. Trent Baalke is the only second-chance GM remaining, and his Jaguars standing is murky right now.
Last year, the Raiders brought in Telesco shortly after removing Pierce’s interim tag. Telesco had been the Chargers’ GM from 2013-23. While GMs infrequently receive second chances, Telesco’s experience brought Davis to sign off on an arranged marriage of sorts, with the owner wanting to pair his unseasoned HC with a veteran exec. Telesco-Pierce friction developed early, particularly about the quarterback position, last year. As the team attempts to solve that issue, neither will be part of it.
Pierce had supported a trade-up move to land a potential long-term QB option in the 2024 draft, while Telesco was in the camp of retaining assets and making the pick at No. 13. Having roster control, Telesco won out and Bowers delivered a historic season. Likely en route to a first-team All-Pro honor, Bowers broke Mike Ditka‘s longstanding record for receiving yardage by a rookie tight end. Bowers’ 1,194-yard year aside, the Raiders still have a glaring need at the most important position. A new GM will now tackle that from the No. 6 spot in the draft.
The Raiders had pursued Jayden Daniels, but a climb from No. 13 to No. 2 to reunite the ex-Arizona State passer with Pierce was never viewed as likely. The Commanders shot down the one offer they received for the pick; that proposal likely came from the Raiders. Michael Penix Jr. emerged as a fallback plan, but the team was not high enough on the left-handed prospect that a trade-up was strongly considered. After the Broncos chose Bo Nix at 12, the Raiders were effectively cut off. This significantly hampered Pierce, who did not warm up to Gardner Minshew. Pierce benched the free agent signing on a few occasions. More Pierce-Telesco friction developed during the season, and Brady’s outsized influence appeared to affect the GM.
Working with stopgap options at QB, Pierce finished 4-13 in his only full season as HC. He had gone 5-4 as Las Vegas’ interim coach. At that time, Davis was linked to potentially hiring an exec to check in above a GM. No such hire happened, but NFL owners approving Brady this past fall may vault the all-time QB great into such a role. Brady is on track to be a central figure in the team’s search for a quarterback answer, and the high-profile FOX staffer has already been heavily involved in the Raiders’ coaching search. Thursday’s firing will clear the way for a high-end coaching candidate to have a say in the team’s GM hire.
Telesco’s two-year, $25MM Minshew contract did not do much for the Raiders, beyond a Week 2 upset of the Ravens. Minshew may well be cut soon. The other notable Telesco free agency pickup cost far more, but Christian Wilkins — given a four-year, $110MM deal that checked in behind only Chris Jones‘ among D-tackles — suffered a Jones fracture that knocked him out after five games. The Raiders’ decision to let Josh Jacobs walk in free agency may not have been as costly as the Giants’ apathy regarding Saquon Barkley, but the defection hurt Vegas’ run game as well. Jacobs said he did not speak with Telesco before he left for Green Bay.
Telesco’s short Raiders tenure also included a trade of Davante Adams, who had run out of patience with the Raiders’ quarterback situation. Telesco landed a third-round pick from the Jets, who took on all of the wideout’s remaining 2024 salary. That pick will now help Brady and the to-be-determined GM, as the team may need ammo to trade into Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward territory, as the Titans (No. 1), Browns (No. 2) and Giants (No. 3) need signal-caller help as well.
Vegas may not end up holding a special place for the twice-fired GM, as a 63-21 Raiders rout of the Chargers led Telesco and Brandon Staley out the door in Los Angeles. Telesco’s Chargers teams had received steady praise for their roster construction, and the Raiders viewed the GM as having assembled better rosters than the results ultimately yielded. That influenced the team’s GM pick, even as Telesco only went 3-for-11 in playoff berths as the Bolts’ front office boss. The next Raiders GM search committee will have a prominent new voice in Brady.
Brady has already contacted ex-Patriots boss Bill Belichick about potentially bailing on North Carolina and coming aboard, but the new Tar Heels coach is not believed to be considering a return to the league. A GM opening would clear a potential path, however. The Raiders also secured a meeting with Lions OC Ben Johnson, one of the hottest HC candidates in recent memory. Johnson is meeting with three other teams this week as well. Having an open GM slot would stand to appeal to Johnson, who has been selective during his time on the HC carousel.
The Raiders have now fired two GMs since October 2023, having canned Dave Ziegler at the same time of Josh McDaniels‘ ouster. The team had given Jon Gruden personnel power upon hiring him, with Mike Mayock riding shotgun. Neither setup lasted long. Brady and Co. will attempt to find a long-running HC-GM tandem for a franchise that has not enjoyed that in ages. The heavy turnover among the Raiders’ staff could certainly hurt the team’s chances at landing a quality GM. How that factors into the team’s upcoming pursuit will be worth monitoring.
Brady should hire himself to be coach and gm. Sad thing is, he’d probably crush it at that as well. Dude is a machine.
Look I think Brady is the G.O.A.T , but let’s be honest, great players never make good coaches..
(Maybe Larry Bird) .. average to good players make awesome coaches..
Bird was a great coach. Bill Russell. Almost none of them ever try their hand at it. I mean the all time greats. I’m just saying, no one understands how game management works better than he does. Hire some great coordinators… he has that leadership quality… he’s a special cat.
This ain’t an NBA blog, boys!
I meant in general, while football has tons of average players turn better coaches (D.Campbell D.Ryans, Jim Harbaugh ECT).. So probably should have said (maybe Mike Ditka)
This is 100% to give a clean slate for a new coach because he didn’t do anything as Raiders GM to deserve being fired
Yeah which makes the JAX situation even more comical. Especially when it was reported one candidate saying that having Baalke there made the position less desirable LOL.
lol took an extra two days
Setting it up for one person to take on the GM and head coaching duties?
I guess it’s possible, but who would that even be on this market? It might be more of a selling point to a coach who doesn’t like the looks of the Jacksonville, New England, or Chicago front office situations. “Look at us! We don’t have a quarterback, but there’s no one for you to have a power struggle with. Bring your own people.”
lol. Completely ridiculous that he got a new GM job right after the way his Chargers tenure ended, especially when basically no GMs get rehired immediately to the same job. Probably wise to bring in a coach and GM who are tied to each other, and also good to not have Telesco for a GM, but wild for a team to go one and done with a GM.
In the old days, teams would hire a GM who then would hire his HC. Whatever happened to that?
After hiring AP, how many people wanted that GM job? Telesco might have been the best guy who would say yes last year.
They had like six or seven candidates last year. Davis is just a moron and hired him anyway.
Probably a move to get the coach they want that has some input on GM type activities/decisions.
That’s what I was thinking. I was listening to local LV radio and a raiders host said Pete Carrol is interested in being the HC with the raiders. And the raiders might have some interest. I was thinking this when I read this. Pete would want GM on his own.
Does this mean Brady has convinced Belichick to ditch UNC and take over for the Raiders?
V-R-A-B-L-E … V-R-A-B-L-E
And that guy he wants for GM
Vrabrel might want GM power for himself.
Bill really does make a lot is sense for the Raiders now.
Ummmmm yeah ya might need to proofread the article again!!!! Idk if that’s how you spell “Penix” correctly. Just saying.
Hahaha good catch!
The writer had one too many “Johnsons” on his mind…
The Dumpster Fire Rages in Las Vegas
Great Googly Moogly
Tom T did not really get a fair shake here.
I would just like to point out a typo that says “Michael Penis Jr.” lol sorry but I had to because I think you’ll want to fix that one.
That made me lol too….
Could only imagine a young man going thru high school and college with a last name like that
I’m sure it was worse for him in HS, but as a UW fan, I can assure you there were so many puns… even before Desmond Howard went on College GameDay yelling “Big Penix Energy!” over and over.
Wouldn’t this be Belichick’s ideal situation? Coach and roster control?
Maybe Belichick told Brady he didn’t want to work for a GM.
Good. The guy did not do much after one good signing last year, and the draft was strange. Sure Bowers is great, but tight end was not near the top of the holes that needed to be filled. Went through the whole season with extra cap room and didn’t make any effort to make the team any better.
Tear it all down and start over.
Please let Tom Brady become GM so we can get competent broadcasters back in the booth.
Tom Brady ain’t no Tony Romo when it comes to the booth….
Fox Sports acts like it’s entitled. If it’s not tolerating sexual battery — Skip Bayless is named specifically in that lawsuit — it’s hiring an NFL club executive to go double-dipping as a game analyst.
Romo acts like a hyper child gets annoying and the mute most of the time from me.
I guess no one else noticed the “Michael Penis Jr” in the article lol
“The Commanders shot down the one offer they received for the pick; that proposal likely came from the Raiders. Michael Penis Jr. emerged as a fallback plan, but the team was not high enough on the left-handed prospect that a trade-up was strongly considered.”
Read above. It was noticed. You’re just late to the “Johnson” party.
Ugh he may take Spytek or Greenberg from Bucs.
Most ridiculous GM hire last year. At least they didn’t triple down with the stupidity.
Aldon Smith as GM and Hue Jackson as HC would be a natural fit for the Raiders clown show.
Too bad “Physician, heal thyself” doesn’t apply to NFL team owners.