The Las Vegas Raiders announced they are firing GM Tom Telesco after just one season with the team. The news comes just two days after they fired Antonio Pierce after his first season as the full-time head coach.
Telesco’s firing was surprising as many believed his job was intact following the Pierce announcement. Instead, the team will now look to fill in the head coach and general manager role this offseason.
Telesco did the most he could with a flawed roster. He nailed the draft, selecting four starters including tight end Brock Bowers, offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Delmar Glaze, and cornerback Decamerion Richardson. However, his choice to enter the season with a quarterback room consisting of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell ultimately thwarted the season.
Even with the botched QB room, Telesco was seemingly in line for a second season as Vegas’ GM. Several reports indicate that Mark Davis and Tom Brady talked at length about how to approach the offseason and eventually decided to let Telesco go. With the coaching search already underway, the team felt it best to synergize their head coaching hire with a new general manager, as well.
Vacating the GM spot will make the Raider job more enticing for future candidates. Any potential head coach hires will likely have input on who they would like to work with. That sort of flexibility, plus having the second-most cap space (according to OverTheCap), and the No. 6 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft gives Vegas plenty of solid selling points when interviewing coaching candidates.
The Raiders aren’t wasting any time in their head coaching search. Reportedly, they’ve already set up interviews with Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh.
