As the Los Angeles Chargers' offseason continues, so does their quest to find a new general manager. Former GM Tom Telesco and head coach Brandon Staleywere fired following an abysmal 5-12 recordin the regular season, leaving the franchise looking for a new captain to steer the ship.
The Chargers have been lining up GM candidate interviews all week and it didn't take long for one to answer back.NOF Network's Nick Underhill reportedon Tuesday night that New Orleans Saints assistant general manager and college scouting director Jeff Ireland has accepted an interview with Los Angeles.
Not that there was really any doubt, but Jeff Ireland will interview as requested, per sourcehttps://t.co/9pePOnpfJG
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill)January 10, 2024
Chargers Rumors: Jeff Ireland Interviewing for GM Job
It looks like it didn't take long for Ireland to accept an interview. News of the acceptance came about six hours after NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that theChargers had only requested an interviewwith the 53-year-old.
Ireland is now heading into his 30th year working in the league. He spent the first 14 years of his career working in scouting roles for the NFL Scouting Combine, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys before working as the Miami Dolphins general manager from 2008 to 2013.
After a short draft consultant stint with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, the Abilene, TX native took his talents to New Orleans. The Saints gave him free rein to build his own scouting department in 2016, playing a big role in the franchise's success at the draft over the last seven or so years.
It isn't hard to see why Los Angeles could use someone like Ireland at the helm going forward. The franchise's scouting department left much to be desired during the Telesco era, highlighted byPro Football Focuslisting the Chargers as having the fourth-worst draft successfrom 2013 to 2022.
Even though Ireland wasn't present in New Orleans until 2015, it's worth pointing out that the Saints' drafting ranks fourth-best during that 10-season span.
As it stands, the Chargers currently have eight picks ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, including the fifth-overall selection. It'd be interesting to see what Ireland could do with that capital in April — especially given his track record of finding hidden gems.
Hopefully, Ireland's quick acceptance of the GM interview is a good sign that he likes what he sees in the franchise. His presence could be exactly what's needed to help the Chargers return to a winning football formula after missing the playoffs eight times in the last 10 seasons.
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