Chargers News: Tom Telesco Appears To Be Heading To Bolts' Biggest Division Rival

Former Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco looks like he will be staying in the AFC West. Telesco served as the Chargers GM from 2013-2023, before he was fired along with coach Brandon Staley following their 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Now, Telesco is expected to join the Raiders as their next GM, via Ian Rapoport. The news comes one day after the Chargers announced they had interviewed Telesco for the second time on Monday.

The Raiders hiring Telesco comes as a surprise for many. Prior to Telesco's second interview, Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds and Raiders interim GM Champ Kelly were the leading candidates after also having two interviews.

Along with the Raiders having had other candidates ahead of Telesco in their GM race, Telesco wasn't really seen as a top GM candidate, especially after he was fired. Though he has drafted some good players and signed some quality free agents, there were plenty of failed moves combined with a lack of team success that led to his firing.

One key thing the Raiders might have liked about Telesco was his ability to draft a top quarterback recently. While the Chargers have some other roster issues, they do have their future at quarterback in Justin Herbert. After the Raiders' inability to land C.J. Stroud was rumored to play a big factor in Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler getting fired during the middle of the 2023 season.

Another factor that worked in Telesco's favor is he won't be responsible for hiring a head coach. Telesco has received criticized for the coaches he'd hired -- with Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley all fired by the organization -- but the Raiders already have their coach in Antonio Pierce. With Pierce having won over the locker room and showing the ability to lead the Raiders to quality wins during his time as the interim coach for the second half of the year.