The words ‘due diligence’ are going to be used a lot in the coming weeks and months, so prepare for that. A strong and inspired finish to this past season has many hoping the Raiders retain interim head coach Antonio Pierce and interim general manager Champ Kelly. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but the Raiders are doing their — wait for it — due diligence before making any official decisions.
Head coaches and GM’s are increasingly package deals in the league. Many coaches want to have some say in who the GM will be and vice versa. Which is why, until a decision is made on one position, the decision has not been made on either position.
Setting aside the head coach position for the time being, the Raiders are seeking out potential GM’s to speak with as part of that process.
Just in the past 24 hours, the Raiders have lined up interviews with three potential General Managers. — 49ers Asst GM Adam Peters, Colts Asst GM Ed Dodds, and former Chargers GM Tom Telesco.
Raiders requested permission to interview 49ers’ assistant GM Adam Peters for their general manager job, per source. Raiders and Commanders both now have an interest in Peters.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 8, 2024
The #Raiders requested an interview with #Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds for their GM job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 8, 2024
Source: Former #Chargers GM Tom Telesco, who presided over one of the most talented rosters for about a decade, will interview for the vacant #Raiders GM job.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2024
Meanwhile Champ Kelly has received interest from the Panthers for their GM job.
The #Panthers have requested to interview #Raiders GM Champ Kelly for their vacant GM job, source says. So while Kelly is in the mix in Vegas, another team has shown interest.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 9, 2024
None of this means the Raiders won’t hold onto Kelly ultimately. First and foremost, he needs to be prepared in case they don’t and it’s always a good to be in demand.
But should the Raiders really like one of the head coach candidates and he would prefer someone else as GM, the Raiders need to be prepared for that. Likewise, if they fall in love with one of these GM candidates in the interview process, they will need him to be onboard with the head coaching decision.
