On one hand, yeah, it’s taking a while for the Raiders to hire a general manager. On the other hand, they now have no competition in the hiring process, so if any of their candidates are eager to become an NFL GM right now, the Raiders are their only option.
There were four teams in the market for a GM this offseason. The other three have all found their guy.
That latest was the Vikings who today hired former Browns VP of Football Operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as their next GM. The other two GM hires were the Bears hiring former Chiefs Executive Director of Player Personnel, Ryan Poles and the Giants hiring former Bills Assistant GM Joe Schoen.
The Raiders have either requested or have interviewed eight different candidates for their GM opening. Bengals scout Trey Brown, Bears Assistant Director of Player Personnel Champ Kelly, Colts Assistant GM Ed Dodds, Buccaneers VP of Player Personnel John Spytek, Patriots Director of Player Personnel Dave Ziegler, Falcons National Scout Ruston Webster, Steelers Pro Scouting Coordinator Brandon Hunt, and an in-house interview with Director of Pro Personnel Dwayne Joseph.
The Vikings had interviewed Spytek and the Bears had interviewed Kelly.
It’s important to get the right guy for the job, but there is a bit of ticking clock here. First and foremost, the Raiders also need a head coach and the GM hiring should come first. Second, there is the matter of offseason activities. The next being the Senior Bowl on February fifth.
That’s just ten days away and it would be good for the Raiders to have both their new GM and head coach in place by then.