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Tom Telesco

Raiders Hire Tom Telesco As GM

January 23rd, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Raiders kept Antonio Pierce, previous reports indicated he and interim GM Champ Kelly were not necessarily a package deal. That detail looks to prove critical now. The AFC West team is expected to go in a different GM direction.

Former Chargers GM Tom Telesco looks set to have an immediate second chance. The Raiders are likely to hire the 11-year GM veteran, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Telesco worked as the Bolts’ GM from 2013-23 but was fired shortly after the Raiders’ 63-21 demolition late this season. With no other team interviewing Telesco for its GM vacancy, he is now set to team with Pierce in Las Vegas. The Raiders subsequently announced the hire.

This hiring comes after the team had Kelly sitting in on HC interviews ahead of the Pierce hire. While Kelly had established clear momentum and was certainly on the radar to join Pierce as the rare interim figure to keep a job, the Raiders will go with a more experienced candidate. This could well lead Kelly elsewhere, though The Athletic’s Tashan Reed notes he remains under contract. The well-respected front office figure only met with one other team — the Panthers — about its GM job. Carolina promoted Dan Morgan to fill that post Monday.

It would be a bit odd to see Telesco sign off on working with perhaps his top competition for this job, so it bears monitoring to see if Kelly will remain with the Raiders.

For Telesco, this will provide a chance to start over after his Philip Rivers– and Justin Herbert-centered rosters repeatedly ran into obstacles in Southern California. Injury issues routinely plagued the Chargers during the 2010s and 2020s, though their rosters always always generated praise coming into seasons. Telesco will now work with another first-time HC. Hiring only rookie HCs during his run with the Chargers (Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, Brandon Staley), Telesco’s teams only qualified for three playoff fields in his 11-year run.

Telesco, 51, came in for a second Raiders interview Monday. That meeting may have changed the team’s thinking. The longtime Chargers front office leader will bring more than 30 years of NFL experience to Las Vegas. Beginning his career as a Bills intern during Bill Polian‘s GM run, Telesco followed the future Hall of Famer to Charlotte and then Indianapolis. With the Colts, Telesco worked his way up to director of player personnel. He held that title for six years, being with the team during its Super Bowl XLI win and its Super Bowl XLIV loss three years later. A year after the Colts fired Polian and hired Ryan Grigson, Teleseco received his GM opportunity and became one of the longer-serving true GMs entering this past season.

With the Chargers, Telesco gave Rivers Pro Bowl pieces in the late 2010s. He drafted Keenan Allen in the 2013 third round and added Joey Bosa and Derwin James in 2016 and ’18, respectively. Telesco added Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater in the 2021 first round as well. He excelled on the extension front, giving new deals to Melvin Ingram — ahead of the veteran’s Pro Bowl years — along with Allen, Bosa, James and Mike Williams. Telesco also signed Austin Ekeler to what became one of the best running back deals in recent memory, a four-year, $24.5MM pact that locked in the passing-down dynamo before back-to-back seasons leading the NFL in touchdowns.

Telesco landing Herbert at No. 6 overall may be his defining GM move, and the decision-maker gave the next Chargers GM a boost by extending Herbert through 2029 last summer. Herbert has become one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, quickly showing that form. However, Telesco’s Staley hire — and the litany of injuries to plague the Bolts — have restricted the prodigious passer. The Chargers are just 1-for-4 in playoff appearances with Herbert, and the lone cameo resulted in a 27-point wild-card collapse in Jacksonville. Rather than fire Staley and go after Sean Payton — long rumored as interested in the job — Telesco (and Chargers ownership) retained Staley. This preceded the December firings of the Bolts’ HC and GM.

Pairing Pierce with a seasoned GM makes sense. Of the candidates the Raiders interviewed, Telesco is the only one with experience as a full-time GM. Mark Davis spoke of the possibility of bringing in a football ops-type presence to lead the way. With Telesco being hired, he might well be that figure to work alongside the owner and head coach.

Kelly and Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds were believed to be the other finalists, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. Dodds and Kelly were believed to be the frontrunners recently, Reed adds, indicating the team was leery about putting Pierce with a first-time GM. Dodds interviewed for the Las Vegas GM job in 2022 and was believed to have made a good impression on Davis. It is unsurprising the longtime Indianapolis exec was again in this race until the end. While Dodds figures to stay in his current post, it will be interesting to see if Kelly — hired to be Dave Ziegler‘s assistant GM in 2022 and taking over as interim GM in November — ends up elsewhere.

Given Pierce’s limited coaching background, it should be expected it will be Telesco making the final calls regarding the team’s 53-man roster. While Josh McDaniels was widely believed to be calling the shots in Vegas during his short HC tenure, Davis emphasized it was Ziegler controlling the roster. The Raiders’ coordinator hires will be the next dominoes to fall. While the team has blocked DC Patrick Graham from making lateral moves, it will be interesting to see if the HC carousel regular will be OK working for a head coach with considerably less experience.

For now, Telesco will step into a situation that differs from his Chargers setup. Rivers was entering his eighth season as a starter when Telesco took over in 2013. With the Dolphins selecting Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in 2020, Herbert was available. The Raiders are unlikely to have comparably easy access to a top-tier QB talent this offseason, holding the No. 13 overall pick after an 8-9 season. That will be the top roster need for Telesco, who will join Pierce in assembling a coaching staff.

Tom Telesco Taking Part In Second Raiders GM Interview; Mike Caldwell In Play For Defensive Role

January 22nd, 2024 at 4:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

4:50pm: The Raiders’ final decision between Telesco, Dodds and Kelly could be made as early as tomorrow, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reports. As a result, the team’s ongoing search will certainly be worth following closely in the immediate future.

2:20pm: The list of finalists for the Raiders’ general manager vacancy continues to grow. Former Chargers GM Tom Telesco is in Las Vegas for a second interview for the position today, per Vic Tafur of The Athletic. As his colleague Tashan Reed notes, Colts exec Ed Dodds has also met with the Raiders twice.

Telesco’s long run with the Chargers came to an end midway through the 2023 season after he and head coach Brandon Staley were fired. As a result, the franchise is looking for a new GM for the first time since 2013. While that search is ongoing, Telesco has received interest from the division-rival Raiders. Dodds has generated greater interest, and he is seen as a top challenger to interim GM Champ Kelly for the full-time gig.

Telesco and the Raiders met earlier this month, and that interview obviously went well given today’s update. The Raiders recently sorted out their coaching situation by removing the interim tag from head coach Antonio Pierce. That move has been celebrated by many, but it leaves the team short on experience on the sidelines. Pairing Pierce with a rookie GM would thus carry risk, something which could be avoided by hiring Telesco.

The latter helped lead the Chargers to a winning record six times during his tenure, and he was responsible for a number of high-profile player acquisitions. One of his most important moves was authorizing the massive extension Justin Herbert signed last offseason, though the Raiders face a much more uncertain situation under center at the moment. Finding stability at the QB spot will be a top priority for whomever gets the nod from owner Mark Davis.

Meanwhile, former Jaguars DC Mike Caldwell is on the Raiders’ radar. Caldwell will interview with the team for a defensive staff position, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. In the event Patrick Graham – who is currently in place as defensive coordinator – departs for a head coaching position, Caldwell could be in play to take over in that role with Vegas, Fowler adds.

With plenty yet to be determined on the sidelines and in the front office, here is how the Raiders’ GM search is taking shape:

Raiders To Interview Tom Telesco For GM

January 9th, 2024 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Fired by the Chargers last month, Tom Telesco brings 11 years of experience as a GM. At least one team will see what the longtime Chargers executive has to offer.

The Raiders have set up an interview with Telesco, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Although Champ Kelly has served as an interim GM, Telesco is the only candidate in this race who has previously been hired to head up a front office. This marks his first connection to a GM job since the Bolts fired he and Brandon Staley following the Raiders’ 63-21 demolition last month.

Telesco, who came to San Diego from Indianapolis in 2013, featured generally well-regarded rosters in Southern California. The Chargers received considerable hype often during Telesco’s tenure, despite the organization not having a reputation for big spending. The Bolts hired three first-time head coaches (Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn, Staley) during Telesco’s tenure. Each made the playoffs, but overall, the Bolts were just 3-for-11 in playoff berths under Telesco.

That said, Telesco managed to craft a Philip Rivers-to-Justin Herbert quarterback pipeline. Telesco extended Herbert this past offseason, locking down the high-end talent through the 2029 season. That deal has made the Chargers’ HC job quite attractive. Telesco also drafted Pro Bowlers Joey Bosa, Derwin James and Rashawn Slater in the first round while finding perennial Pro Bowler Keenan Allen in the third. Injuries often intervened for the Chargers, who regularly experienced late-game letdowns — the most notorious coming in a 27-point wild-card collapse against the Jaguars.

Telesco, 51, was previously a Bill Polian mainstay. He was with the Hall of Fame exec in Buffalo, Carolina and Indianapolis. He rose from the scouting ranks to the Colts’ director of player personnel under Polian, collecting a Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis’ 2006 season, and spent one season under Ryan Grigson before the Chargers’ hire 11 years ago. Courtesy of PFR’s General Manager Search Tracker, here is how the Raiders’ GM pursuit looks so far:

Chargers Fire Brandon Staley, Tom Telesco

December 15th, 2023 at 10:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the Raiders’ historic rout of the Chargers on Thursday night, the reeling team will drop the hammer early. The Bolts announced the firings of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco on Friday morning.

The Chargers have since announced the promotion of Giff Smith and JoJo Wooden to respectively replace Staley and Telesco on an interim basis. The former has experience as a D-line coach dating back to 1999, and he has been in the organization since 2016. Over the past two seasons, though, he has worked as the team’s outside linebackers coach. This will be Smith’s first appointment as a head coach at the college or pro level.

Wooden, meanwhile, has been with the Chargers for the past decade. He has served with the title of player personnel director after working his way through the ranks in the Jets’ scouting department from 1997 to 2012. Like Smith, he will now oversee the conclusion of a highly disappointing campaign for the Bolts before potentially garnering consideration for the full-time role.

This is the first instance of the Chargers firing a head coach in-season since they axed Kevin Gilbride 25 years ago. But Staley has long been expected to be out, with the Bolts regressing in a season following a 27-point collapse in the wild-card round. Telesco spent 11 years as the Chargers’ GM. While much-hyped rosters formed under his watch, the team did not turn well-regarded transactions into sustained success.

Hired in 2021, Staley came over after one season as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. But the ascendant assistant could not establish success in this area with the Chargers. The Raiders dropping 63 on their rivals, 42 of those points coming in the first half, after the Vikings had held them scoreless in Week 15 prompted Bolts ownership to act early.

Telesco backed Staley following the Jaguars’ wild-card rally, which doubled as the third-biggest postseason deficit ever overcome, and the “what if?” involving Sean Payton is worth examining. The then-FOX analyst was linked to being interested in the Chargers job at multiple points last year. The move would have allowed Payton to stay in Los Angeles. But Telesco kept Staley, continuing a Chargers trend of keeping coaches beyond two seasons.

Staley is now the first Bolts HC to lose his job after less than four full seasons since the team fired Mike Riley following the 2001 campaign. Even Riley, who did not produce a winning season, lasted longer than Staley. But the alarming Week 15 performance opened the door to the Bolts needing to cut the cord now. As the team began to struggle this season, Chargers president John Spanos — a previous Staley advocate — began to distance himself from the embattled HC, Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes. The Spanoses will now begin to look for Staley’s replacement in an offseason that will remind of 2013, when the Bolts replaced both their HC and GM.

The Telesco news represents a bigger-picture development. The former Colts exec had hired Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Staley during his run as GM. Telesco’s drafts brought difference-makers in Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen, Derwin James, Rashawn Slater and Justin Herbert. Telesco did well to leave no gaps between star quarterbacks, selecting Herbert sixth overall a month after Philip Rivers departed in free agency. Telesco, 51, also hammered out a through-2029 Herbert extension this offseason. The quarterback’s presence will make both the new Bolts vacancies attractive, but rampant underachievement has defined this team for much of the 21st century.

Even before the Raiders’ rout, Telesco was rumored to be on the chopping block. Dean Spanos will opt to not let Telesco hire a fourth HC. The three he hired combined for just three playoff appearances in 11 seasons. The Chargers, who had sustained success under Marty Schottenheimer and the early part of Norv Turner‘s ensuing HC run, have not ventured to back-to-back playoff brackets since the 2008-09 seasons. Despite Rivers playing his final seven Chargers seasons during Telesco’s tenure, the potential Hall of Famer only piloted the Bolts to two playoff brackets in that span. The Chargers won postseason games in 2013 and ’18 and were on track to eliminate the Jags last season, but success proved fleeting for squads that seemed to annually generate buzz.

After hiring offense-oriented coaches in 2013 and ’17, Telesco chose Staley’s defensive acumen to pair with Herbert in 2021. The Chargers managed to produce the AFC’s Pro Bowl starting quarterback and miss the playoffs. That had not happened in the AFC since the 1989 Bengals. Herbert put up dazzling numbers in 2021, but a Week 18 loss to the Raiders led to the budding superstar’s season wrapping early. A rib injury last September limited Herbert, and Staley fired OC Joe Lombardi following the playoff season. Two-year DC Renaldo Hill left to rejoin Vic Fangio in Miami this offseason.

Following a 2021 season that featured the Bolts ranking 29th in points allowed, Staley made a push for the team to equip him with better defensive personnel in 2022. The team traded for Khalil Mack and signed J.C. Jackson and Sebastian Joseph-Day. The Mack trade belatedly panned out, with the former Raiders and Bears standout rebounding for 15 sacks this season. The five-year, $82.5MM Jackson contract proved disastrous for the Chargers, who sent the underperforming cornerback back to the Patriots for next to nothing earlier this season.

The Chargers had made Jackson a healthy scratch in Week 3. Even after the round of defensive reinforcements, Staley’s 2022 defense ranked 20th; after last night’s Raider rampage, his third Charger defense ranks 29th. Last season’s Jacksonville catastrophe also featured the Bolts lining up without Mike Williams, who was injured in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Broncos. Staley and Telesco each defended the decision to leave starters in that contest deep into the second half, but the Chargers — who have struggled with receiver health over the past two seasons — suffered the consequences of Williams’ absence a week later. As the Chargers swooned in the wake of the playoff debacle, they lost Herbert to a season-ending finger injury.

Herbert’s status will naturally drive interest in this position, and some around the league are monitoring the Chargers as a Bill Belichick suitor. The Bolts would likely need to trade for the Patriots legend, and it would be interesting to see if this gains traction. A short-term Belichick-Herbert pairing would draw interest for a franchise that has struggled to establish itself in L.A., while such a move would also be a zag after Telesco made inexperienced coordinators — in Staley and Lynn — his HC choices. But we are still a ways away from the Belichick market taking shape.

Regardless of where the Chargers go from here, their next regime will be responsible for undoing some of the damage this era brought. The organization’s reputation for letdowns pushed “Chargering” into the NFL lexicon. In a division with Payton and Patrick Mahomes, the Bolts suddenly have more ground to make up despite striking gold with Herbert.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Chargers GM Tom Telesco On Hot Seat?

December 12th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Tom Telesco has spent more than a decade with the Chargers organization. However, with his squad eyeing another underwhelming finish, there’s a chance he’s let go after the season. According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, “there’s a strong expectation within the industry” that the Chargers will be seeking a new head coach and a new GM this offseason.

After stops with the Bills and the Panthers to begin his career, Telesco worked his way up through the Colts organization, culminating in him earning the role of vice president of football operations. At the same time, the Chargers were about to miss the playoffs for the third straight season, leading to longtime GM A.J. Smith‘s ouster.

Telesco ended up earning the Chargers GM job, and he helped build a roster that ultimately won a playoff game in his first season at the helm. However, the Chargers only won one more playoff game over the next nine seasons, with the organization only having a pair of playoff appearances over that span. The exec has a had a few highs (including a 12-4 season in 2018) and more lows (including three seasons with five or fewer wins), but he’s managed to stick around as one of the longest-tenured GMs in the NFL.

The organization’s lack of success might finally catch up to Telesco in 2023. The Chargers currently sit at 5-8, and with Justin Herbert set to miss the rest of the season, things probably aren’t going to get much better in Los Angeles. Owner Dean Spanos will reportedly conduct an offseason evaluation of the organization, and it could ending up leading to significant changes.

As for head coach Brandon Staley, it’s seeming like a foregone conclusion that the head coach will be canned following the season. As the criticism mounts, the Chargers have already been connected to potential replacement options. However, La Canfora warns that Staley might not even make it to the offseason and could be an in-season casualty. With his defense stumbling and his franchise quarterback sidelined, Staley could be facing a brutal end of the season, and a humiliating loss could ultimately cost him his job.

Chargers Unlikely To Make HC, GM Changes Before Offseason

December 3rd, 2023 at 10:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

Many have pointed to the Chargers as a team which could shake up its staff on the sidelines and/or in the front office. While pressure is likely on Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco, the pair should be considered safe for the immediate future.

No in-season changes are expected to be made by the Chargers, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reports (video link). Staley in particular is believed to be on the hot seat, barring a signficant turnaround to close out the 2023 campaign. Los Angeles entered Week 13 sitting at 4-7 and in need of a late-season push to get back into contention for an AFC wild-card spot. In the event that does not come to fruition, it would come as little surprise if a change were to be made.

As Jones notes, though, a final decision on the fate of Staley or Telesco will likely not be made until after owner Dean Spanos conducts an offseason evaluation. Staley is in his third season at the helm, but once again the Chargers have drawn criticism for their on-field play not matching the talent on their roster. He has served as the team’s defensive play-caller, allowing him to continue in that capacity after doing so during his time as the Rams’ defensive coordinator. The unit has generally struggled (today’s 6-0 win over the Patriots notwithstanding), however, which has contributed to an underwhelming overall performance in what may have deemed a make-or-break year.

Staley’s Chargers stint has been marked by last year’s 27-point collapse in the wild-card round, a game which represented a rare trek to the postseason for the organization during Telesco’s tenure. The latter has been in place since 2013, but the Chargers have made just three postseason appearances over that span. Only two playoff wins (in 2013 and ’18) have come about, but the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert has given the team significant potential for the short- and long-term future.

The former No. 6 pick was one of several young passers who inked a monster extension this offseason. Herbert’s five-year, $262.5MM deal has him on the books through 2029 and his play over the life of the pact will be a major factor in the Chargers’ success. If the team falls short of the postseason and a coaching change is indeed made, a number of candidates will no doubt be connected to the opening. Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson could be one of them, though he is expected to be one of the hottest coaching candidates in the 2024 cycle.

In any event, plenty of pressure will likely be on Staley and Telesco over the coming weeks. Their respective job statuses will be a major storyline to watch through the remainder of the season and into the beginning of the upcoming hiring cycle.

The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs

July 6th, 2023 at 9:25am CST by Sam Robinson

The latest NFL general manager hiring cycle only produced two changes, but each took over for an executive who appeared in good standing at this point last year.

Steve Keim had held his Cardinals GM post since January 2013, and the Cardinals gave both he and Kliff Kingsbury extensions — deals that ran through 2027 — in March of last year. Arizona has since rebooted, moving on from both Keim and Kingsbury. Keim took a leave of absence late last season, and the Cardinals replaced him with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort.

[RELATED: The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches]

As the Cardinals poached one of the Titans’ top front office lieutenants, Tennessee went with an NFC West staffer to replace Jon Robinson. The move to add 49ers FO bastion Ran Carthon also came less than a year after the Titans reached extension agreements with both Robinson and HC Mike Vrabel. But controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson — in place as GM since January 2016 — before last season ended. Adams Strunk cited player unavailability and roster quality among the reasons she chose to move on despite having extended Robinson through the 2027 draft months earlier. The Titans are now pairing Vrabel and Carthon.

The Bills reached an extension agreement with GM Brandon Beane two weeks ago. Hired shortly after the team gave Sean McDermott the HC keys, Beane has helped the Bills to five playoff berths in six seasons. Beane’s deal keeps him signed through 2027. Chargers GM Tom Telesco has hit the 10-year mark leading that front office, while this year also marks the 10th offseason of Buccaneers honcho Jason Licht‘s tenure running the NFC South team. Although Jim Irsay fired Frank Reich and later admitted he reluctantly extended his former HC in 2021, the increasingly active Colts owner has expressed confidence in Chris Ballard.

Here is how the NFL’s GM landscape looks going into the 2023 season:

  1. Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
  2. Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
  3. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
  4. Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
  5. John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
  6. Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
  7. Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
  8. Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
  9. Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
  10. Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
  11. John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  12. Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
  13. Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
  14. Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
  15. Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
  16. Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
  17. Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
  18. Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
  19. Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
  20. George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
  21. Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
  22. Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
  23. Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
  24. Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
  25. Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
  26. Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
  27. Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
  28. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
  29. Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
  30. Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
  31. Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
  32. Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023

Footnotes:

  1. Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
  2. Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
  3. Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
  4. Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018

Chargers’ Tom Telesco Addresses Justin Herbert Contract Outlook

May 29th, 2023 at 2:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2019 quarterback class did not feature multiple members on Year 4 extension tracks last year, with only Kyler Murray on that radar. A year after Murray’s deal, the 2020 QB class’ first bite at the extension apple is producing more fireworks.

Jalen Hurts‘ $51MM-per-year Eagles deal laid the groundwork, but the Super Bowl LVII starter became a locked-in extension candidate much later than draft contemporaries Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert. The Bengals and Chargers passers remain on their rookie contracts but will almost definitely sign extensions that surpass Hurts’ April accord. Both players have begun discussions regarding their second contracts.

A QB extension will not be new territory for Chargers GM Tom Telesco. In addition to hammering out Philip Rivers‘ four-year, $84MM deal in 2015, Telesco was with the Colts for Peyton Manning‘s entire tenure. As Telesco moved up from the scouting ranks to director of player personnel in Indianapolis, the Colts gave Manning two extensions. The first — a seven-year, $98MM pact — came in 2004, but the second (five years, $90MM — in 2011) did not lead to any playing time. Manning’s neck injury forced him to miss all of the ’11 season, and the Colts cut the all-time great in March 2012. Prior to the release, Indianapolis continually constructed championship-caliber rosters around its perennial MVP candidate. This included Super Bowl XLI and XLIV appearances despite highly paid pass rushers and wide receivers (though, Marvin Harrison was not on the second Super Bowl roster) joining Manning on Indy’s payroll.

Telesco, 50, has used Manning’s first Colts extension as a blueprint for building a team around a monster QB deal, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com notes. The 11th-year Chargers GM kept a binder in his office themed around how the Colts built around Manning. As Herbert is ticketed to become a $50MM-per-year player, Telesco’s Chargers team-building mission will soon change.

“Some of it doesn’t apply anymore, but there’s still some things in there that I’ve written down that I’ve learned that like, yeah, this definitely is going to apply,” Telesco said.

The 2011 CBA introduced the modern rookie-scale contract, changing roster-building equations and creating a tremendous advantage for teams that find impact quarterbacks in the draft. The Chargers have been unable to follow the paths of several teams — the Eagles (twice) and Chiefs among them — in making a Super Bowl trip with a rookie-QB contract, but they have found a superstar-caliber passer. Herbert seems unlikely to go into his fourth season without a new deal, and while typical extension terms leave teams early-years wiggle room regarding cap hits, the Chargers’ model will change during Herbert’s second contract.

Since Patrick Mahomes‘ 10-year, $450MM deal, only one QB — the Bills’ Josh Allen — has come relatively close to agreeing to a team-friendly extension like the one the Chiefs orchestrated. Allen signed a six-year extension in 2021. Of the other QBs to sign lucrative re-ups since Mahomes’ July 2020 deal — Deshaun Watson (twice), Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, Murray, Russell Wilson, Hurts and Lamar Jackson — none have agreed to contracts longer than five years. The Mahomes model may not be realistic for Burrow or Herbert, given how their other peers have proceeded (and the Chiefs potentially needing to adjust the 10-year deal three offseasons after they finalized it), but Telesco views his centerpiece player as understanding how his contract will affect the Chargers’ team-building effort.

“At least in our situation, I don’t think I need to have that talk with our quarterback. I think he’s fully aware, has really good self-awareness on how much money he is going to make, how it affects the team,” Telesco said. “But like most agents will tell you, like, it’s my job to figure out how to make sure that the player gets the value that he deserves and we build a team around him.”

The Bolts have four $20MM-per-year players on their payroll, though only one of those (Joey Bosa) may profile as a long-term roster cog. Khalil Mack is going into his age-32 season, while Keenan Allen is now 31. Mike Williams‘ deal runs through 2024, and the Bolts just drafted Quentin Johnston in Round 1. The Chargers also have Derwin James signed to the NFL’s top safety contract and Corey Linsley inked to a top-five center deal. Rookie-deal standouts like Rashawn Slater will become necessary around Herbert, especially if the Oregon product becomes the latest QB to eschew the Mahomes structure and opt for a more traditional extension.

It will be interesting to see which of the 2020 first-rounders signs his extension first and if Burrow — after two AFC championship game appearances and a Super Bowl start — pushes to create distance between himself and Herbert. Until these contracts are finalized, the Bengals and Chargers will continue to be linked due to their QBs’ parallel tracks.

Latest On Chargers, RB Austin Ekeler

May 12th, 2023 at 8:57am CST by Adam La Rose

The bulk of free agency, along with the draft, has now come and gone. Most major roster-building moves have thus been made for 2023, but the future of Chargers running back Austin Ekeler remains unresolved.

Ekeler was given permission to seek a trade in March after extension talks failed to yield much in the way of progress. The 27-year-old has one year remaining on his current contract, and is due $6.25MM – a figure much lower than that of the other top backs in the league. After a second straight season in which he led the league in scrimmage touchdowns and eclipsed 1,500 total yards, Ekeler’s desire for a raise has been weighed against the underwhelming market direction his position has been headed in.

Given the overall devaluation of running backs – at least in 2023’s free agency period, if not the first round of this year’s draft – it comes as little surprise that a strong trade market for Ekeler has yet to take shape. Given the lack of willingness on other teams’ parts to move assets in acquiring him before making a signficant, multi-year financial commitment, the former UDFA acknowledged the possibility of playing out his contract year in Los Angeles. The chances of that taking place are increased by the Chargers’ lack of a desire to move him.

“Nothing’s changed,” general manager Tom Telesco said about Ekeler’s standing trade request during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (video link). “His situation is unique. I completely understand that, which is why we kind of allowed them to kind of look and see if there was something out there available. We had no intent, no interest of trading him, but, fully knowing his situation, said go ahead and do it.”

The Chargers have a number of young options on their RB depth chart, but none with the track record of two-way production Ekeler has established over the past few years in particular. Los Angeles did not draft a running back, further pointing to their intention of keeping Ekeler in the fold for the 2023 campaign, one in which the team’s offense in particular will face considerable expectations. If he can deliver another strong performance, he will boost his free agent value, but that route appears to be the only one in which he could land in a new NFL home next offseason.

Latest On Chargers CB J.C. Jackson, QB Justin Herbert

May 7th, 2023 at 11:18am CST by Rory Parks

Saying that cornerback J.C. Jackson‘s first year with the Chargers could have gone better would be an understatement. Jackson, who signed a five-year, $82.5MM contract with the Bolts last March, underwent ankle surgery in August to repair an issue that cropped up during training camp, which forced him to miss the 2022 regular season opener. He also missed Los Angeles’ Week 3 contest, and while he suited up for the club’s next four games, he suffered a patellar tendon rupture in a Week 7 loss to the Seahawks and was sidelined for the rest of the campaign.

Even when he was on the field, Jackson did not come close to living up to his contract. In five games, he surrendered a 149.3 QB rating on passes thrown in his direction, according to Pro Football Reference. Pro Football Focus was even less friendly, charging him with a 152.4 rating and assigning him a dismal 28.1 coverage grade.

Nonetheless, it is clear that the Chargers are continuing to count on Jackson in a big way. The team neither drafted nor signed a cornerback, save for a handful of UDFA’s, so it will return Asante Samuel Jr., Michael Davis, and Jackson as its top three boundary corners.

GM Tom Telesco‘s approach to the cornerback position not only suggests that he expects a rebound effort from Jackson, but also that he is confident in Jackson’s medical prognosis. While a torn patellar tendon can be one of the toughest injuries to overcome, Telesco says that Jackson is making good progress in his rehab (via Daniel Popper of The Athletic (subscription required)). Popper said that Jackson was working with a trainer on the first day of the Chargers’ offseason program, and that he had started running on a treadmill.

Telesco is optimistic that Jackson will be able to participate in training camp. That would obviously go a long way towards getting the 27-year-old back to the Pro Bowl form he displayed as a member of the Patriots, thus bolstering a defense that surrendered the seventh-fewest passing yards per game in 2022 despite what was essentially a lost season from last year’s biggest free agent investment.

Another high-profile Charger who is currently on the mend, quarterback Justin Herbert, provided a recent update on his recovery. Herbert, who underwent offseason surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, said he has not thrown a football since the procedure and estimates that he is 75% recovered (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry).

Herbert expects to begin throwing this month, and the five- to six-month recovery timeline he provided would allow him to be at full strength for training camp. Telesco, who picked up Herbert’s fifth-year option for 2024 and who has commenced negotiations on what will be a massive contract extension, clearly does not have any concerns about his quarterback’s health status.

When asked about those contract talks, Herbert did not provide much of an update.

“I’m kind of left out of those negotiations, and I think my job now, my focus is to be the best quarterback that I can be and to rehab my shoulder,” the 2021 Pro Bowler said. “I’ve got complete faith in the Chargers organization and the front office. They’ve done such a great job of taking care of us as players, and I’ve loved to be a part of this team, being a part of this organization, and it’s kind of beyond my control of as to what happens now. I’m just doing everything I can that I can control.”

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