Tom Telesco To Control Raiders’ Roster; Team Wants Champ Kelly Back

In contrast to their respective general managers, Mark Davis’ two most recent administrations prioritized head coaches, Jon Gruden and Josh McDaniels. Though Mark Davis was quick to note out that Dave Ziegler was in charge of the Raiders’ 53-man roster, once the Patriot Way model went awry, analogies to Mike Mayock’s shotgun job beside Gruden also surfaced.

The Raiders have an inexperienced head coach and a veteran general manager in Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce. Telesco will manage the roster, Davis revealed (via ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez), but the veteran Chargers front office executive stated he and Pierce will collaborate.

“It’s a partnership,” Telesco said, via The Athletic’s Tashan Reed. “As far as building the roster, you’re working through the vision of the head coach. How does he want to play on offense? How does he want to play on defense? How does he want to play on special teams? And you build it that way. … We’re going to be able to bounce ideas off each other.”

Telesco will be the first general manager to be given a second shot right away. Trent Baalke is the head of the Jaguars’ front office, but it took him four years to get here after he was fired in San Francisco. The only two seasoned general managers left in the league are Baalke and Telesco; the other teams either employ rookies or have an arrangement where the owner serves as the team’s de facto general manager. The 51-year-old Telesco managed just three playoff teams during his 11 years as general manager of the Chargers.

Prior to their collaboration, Pierce and Telesco had no known relationship, although they did make jokes about the December result of 63-21, which finally sent the latter to Las Vegas. As reported by SI.com’s Albert Breer, the organization appreciated the Chargers’ roster composition and thought Teleseco’s expertise was superior to those of finalists Champ Kelly and Ed Dodds. Telesco also benefited from his familiarity with the AFC West.

It is true Teleseco built well-regarded Bolts rosters for most of his tenure, though they regularly fell short of expectations. The ex-Colts exec also inherited Philip Rivers in his prime and had Justin Herbert waiting for him when the Dolphins chose Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall in 2020. This Raiders effort stands to be more difficult through that lens, and the lack of a prior relationship with Pierce will make the setup worth monitoring.

Kelly has a contract, and Davis stated (via Gutierrez) that he hoped the seasoned executive will continue working for the organization. Kelly was watching the Raiders’ few HC interviews, so it seemed like he was going to get the job. However, rumors circulated that Pierce and Kelly weren’t really a package deal. Additionally, Davis stated that Tom Delaney will continue to oversee the Raiders’ pay cap. Delaney, who joined the search committee that resulted in Pierce and Telesco, has been a member of the Raiders since the late nineties.

After being appointed as Ziegler‘s assistant general manager in the middle of the season, Kelly conducted interviews for the general manager position with the Panthers. Dan Morgan has received that; Kelly has not been linked to any other positions. It’s possible that Telesco will collaborate with Kelly’s main rival for the position unless the Raiders allow Kelly get out of his contract or he quits.

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