Tom Telesco's 11-year run with the LA Chargers ended after a 63-21 loss against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 that paved the way for Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz to join the organization. Surprisingly enough, Telesco instantly landed another GM job and was hired by the same Raiders team that previously walloped the Chargers.
Telesco's first season as Raiders GM did not exactly go as planned. He made the same mistakes Chargers fans grew accustomed to and the team itself only conjured four wins. Telesco may have been dealt an unfair hand with the roster he inherited but that does not change the fact the Raiders lost four more games than the year before.
This regression in 2024 was enough for the Raiders to fire first-year head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday. Telesco had more fate on his side, though, as the Raiders are keeping him around to be a part of the team's head coaching search.
Raiders are retaining GM Tom Telesco, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 7, 2025
Chargers fans can't help but laugh at the Raiders' decision to keep Tom Telesco
Chargers fans were excited when the Raiders hired Telesco as general manager and that excitement will continue into the 2025 season. While the Chargers reached the playoffs for the first time without the Telesco, the Raiders are now making the same mistakes the Chargers once did.
At some point, a general manager is who he is and that is no different with Telesco. There is more than enough of a track record with a dozen years in the league. Perhaps he can be a valuable asset in a different role, but he has not proven to be a good GM.
Telesco's biggest weakness, among several, was his inability to hire good head coaches. The former Chargers GM hired Mike McCoy, Anthony Lynn and Brandon Staley during his stint with the Bolts. They were all bad.
Granted, not every head coaching hire is going to work but to go 0-3 with three pretty bad results is impressive for Telesco. Now, he is tasked with finding the Raiders' next head coach as well as the team's next quarterback in a year with a bad rookie QB class.
It is not hyperbolic to say the 2025 offseason is the most important in recent Raiders history. If the Raiders are going to have any success in the future then they must find the right head coach and the right quarterback. If not, it will just be a revolving door with Vegas needing to solve the same problems later.
And if Telesco's track record tells us anything, it is that he won't make the right decisions for the Raiders. At least this time it will benefit the Chargers.