The LA Chargers fired former general manager Tom Telesco last season after losing 63-21 to the Las Vegas Raiders on primetime. Just months later, the Raiders opted to hire Telesco as their new GM, even if his track record in Los Angeles was not deserving of an instant second chance.
Telesco's first season with the Raiders has not gone as planned. Las Vegas spent all its cap space on a defensive tackle who is a run specialist, ignoring the depth of the roster as a result. Christian Wilkins has been fine thus far, but the Raiders had a better use of the team's resoures.
That includes the quarterback position, which has been a lowlight for the Raiders this season. Gardner Minshew, Aiden O'Connell and Desmond Ridder have all played snaps under center for the Raiders. Together, the three quarterbacks are 2-7 on the season.
Now, just half a season into his tenure with the Raiders, Telesco is starting to make panic moves to salvage the 2024 season and the near future.
We have relieved Luke Getsy, James Cregg, and Rich Scangarello of their duties with the Las Vegas Raiders.
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) November 4, 2024
Tom Telesco is already firing Raiders coaches less than a year after being fired by the Chargers
Former offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is the biggest name that was fired by the Raiders on Monday but the team also firing the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach signals a widespread offensive change.
Head coach Antonio Pierce said the decision was 100% his but it is hard to believe that there was no influence from Telesco and the front office. This is the first domino to fall in what could be a sweeping change instituted by Telesco.
After all, Pierce was never his guy and it is not uncommon for general managers to want to hire "their guys" when they are new to a job. Pierce essentially strongarmed himself into a job he may not be qualified for after a short strong stint as the interim head coach last year.
Now, the season is slipping away from Pierce and placing blame on the OC is just the first domino that has fallen.
It was not Getsy's fault that the front office didn't allocate enough resources to the offensive side of the ball and did not have a serious plan for the quarterback position. It was not Getsy's fault that the Raiders allowed Davante Adams to leverage himself out of Las Vegas to go to New York.
It has been a turbulent half-season for the Raiders. Meanwhile, the Chargers could not be sailing any smoother with Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh running things. Safe to say the Bolts got the better end of the deal, and all it took was one blowout loss in a game that had no real consequence.