There are bad GMs, good GMs, and great GMs throughout the NFL. For a variety of reasons, many LA Chargers fans believe that the team has a bad GM. Tom Telesco has had the job for a decade with three playoff berths and two playoff wins under his resume.
It isn't just a lack of overall success for Telesco, it is how he compares to his peers throughout the league. When a great GM goes out and makes a smart move it makes Telesco look worse by comparison. That is exactly what happened Monday.
One day after the Chargers fell to 2-4 and made yet another recent draft pick a healthy scratch, Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman swung yet another great trade. Roseman traded a fifth and sixth-round pick along with Terrell Edmunds to the Tennessee Titans for standout safety Kevin Byard.
Roseman has long been regarded as the best executive in football and this is not the first time he has pulled off a trade like this that takes the NFL world by storm. Unfortunately for Chargers fans (and fans of various other NFL teams) it was another example of what a smart NFL team does.
Chargers fans get more fed up with Tom Telesco after Eagles' Kevin Byard trade
Imagine being able to trade Brenden Jaimes, Nick Niemann, and Alohi Gilman for Kevin Byard 😮💨 https://t.co/gjH7WhtapF
— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) October 23, 2023
In theory, this would have been a great trade for the Chargers to make. Byard is one of the best safeties in the sport, is as durable as it comes and would have a minimal cap hit this season. Even next year, the Chargers would not be taking on a massive cap hit for the star safety. Per Over The Cap, Byard has a cap hit of $14.2 million next season.
But this is never the type of move the Chargers would make. Telesco has made one in-season trade for an incoming player during his entire tenure with the team; it was in his first year as the GM. Telesco traded a seventh-round pick for defensive tackle Sean Lissemore. Talk about a doozy.
Telesco has every reason to be aggressive as well. While it would probably be better for the future of the team to sell assets, Telesco and Brandon Staley will probably get fired if the Chargers miss the playoffs this season. That seemingly would light a fire under Telesco to go out and get an elite defensive player for a struggling defense for a cheap cost.
But nope. Instead, the Chargers will hold onto these picks and as long as Telesco is around, the team will probably use those picks on players who will be healthy scratches and not even get a second contract after their rookie deal.