Chargers announce Tom Telesco as new GM
The Chargers announced Wednesday that Tom Telesco, the Colts VP of football operations, will be their next general manager.
"We set out to find the right person to bring about positive change for the San Diego Chargers," team president Dean Spanos said. "It was a tough decision, but in the end, all signs pointed to Tom. He is highly respected among his NFL peers. His work ethic is extraordinary. He is honest, humble, engaging and an excellent communicator. And, most important, he knows how to build a winning football team.
“Now that we have this critical piece in place, our goal is land the right coach to lead the team back to where it belongs: in the playoffs and to a Super Bowl championship.”
Telesco, a 15-year veteran of the Colts organization, was promoted from director of player personnel to VP of football ops by new GM Ryan Grigson last February. At that time, Telesco was considered a candidate for the Colts GM gig, so it's not stunning to see him land the gig in San Diego.
“I'm excited for the opportunity to be part of the San Diego Chargers family and the San Diego community,” said Telesco. “I'm grateful to Dean, John (Spanos), Ed McGuire and Ron Wolf for showing faith in me. I spent a lot of time with them and the interview process was extremely thorough and detailed. We discussed every facet of football operations, top to bottom. During the process it became clear that our philosophies and goals are one and the same. I can't wait to get started.”
The only real surprise that comes along with Telesco's hiring is that it puts to rest any notion that the Chargers would hire Jimmy Raye as their new general manager.
Raye, the current Chargers director of player personnel, was considered a strong candidate for the job.
The Jets reportedly tried to get in on chasing Telesco recently, but Telesco apparently pushed back his interview with New York. Clearly that was in order to accept the gig in San Diego.
Now Telesco and the Spanos family will set out to find a new head coach for the Chargers.
It's worth noting the obvious connection here between Telesco, coming from the Colts, and current Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Arians increased his marketability for a head coaching position by filling in for the sick Chuck Pagano and leading the Colts to 11 wins in 2012.
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