Tag: general manager

Chiefs sign HC Andy Reid, GM Brett Veach, President Mark Donovan to extensions

The #Chiefs extended the contracts of Head Coach Andy Reid, General Manager Brett Veach, and team President Mark Donovan on Monday night.

Just days before the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs signed head coach Andy Reid, general manager Brett Veach, and team president Mark Donovan to contract extensions.

The move comes after Kansas City secured its second-consecutive championship in Super Bowl LVIII with a win over the San Francisco 49ers back in February.

In a statement sent to the press, the Chiefs emphasized the importance of Reid, Veach, and Donovan in their front office, pointing to the accomplishments that the trio have been able to achieve:

“Together since 2017, Donovan, Veach, and Reid have overseen a Chiefs team which has gone 100-34 (.746) (reg. & postseason combined), claiming seven consecutive AFC West Division Championships, four AFC Championships, and three Super Bowl Championships,” the team wrote. “The club has been in six-consecutive AFC Championship Games including hosting an NFL record five-straight (2018-2022).”

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Clark Hunt’s decision to keep these three key figures in Kansas City for the foreseeable future should prove to help the Chiefs sustain their dynasty as the team looks to continue winning Super Bowls for years to come.

Courtney Morgan officially named Alabama football’s General Manager

Though it has been known for quite some time, Courtney Morgan has officially been introduced as Alabama’s general manager.

Though he was on the same flight as Alabama athletic director and new football head coach Kalen DeBoer, Courtney Morgan has just now been officially announced as the program’s new general manager.

The official release from the university states that,

“Morgan will be tasked with managing the Crimson Tide’s roster while overseeing and directing the daily operations of both the personnel and recruiting departments. He will help organize the head coaches film evaluations and prospect communication while also organizing transfer portal evaluations. Morgan is also tasked with supervising internal brand management for Alabama football.”

Morgan is no stranger to how DeBoer likes to run a program, as he has been with him for a number of years, serving in the same role during the head coach’s time in Washington, Fresno State and San Jose State back in 2019.

DeBoer speaks very highly of Morgan,

“Courtney is such an important part of our program,” DeBoer said. “He has great relationships across the country and is an essential part of helping us recruit and evaluate talent both at the high school level and in the transfer portal. Courtney is an important pillar in what we are trying to accomplish at Alabama, and I am very excited to be able to bring him to Tuscaloosa.”

On his role within the Alabama program, Morgan is very serious about advancing the best interests of the Crimson Tide and adhering to DeBoer’s system.

“I love working for Coach DeBoer and I am looking forward to continuing the standard that Alabama football has set,” Morgan said. “Everyone on this staff has the same common goal, and we believe in Coach DeBoer’s process of what it takes to win. Trust and hard work are such an important part of success and I’m always ready to go to work and I completely trust Coach DeBoer approach to building a program.”

Expect to see Morgan involved heavily on the recruiting trails as staff member who will build connections and establish relationships with recruits and their families, as well as working with players on the roster.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football news throughout the 2024 offseason.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Where Mickey Loomis ranks among the NFL’s 10 longest-tenured general managers

How Mickey Loomis compares among the NFL’s 10 longest-tenured general managers in win percentage, playoff records, and championships:

Mickey Loomis has been calling shots for the New Orleans Saints for a long time. There isn’t another general manager — or at least no one who share that title — who has held the job as long as he has in pro football. But how much more experience does he have than his peers?

Sure, there are de facto GM’s like Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown, but they ceded personal control to trusted assistants years ago. At the end of the day Loomis is involved with every decision the Saints make in free agency and on draft day, either okaying the suggestions of his staff or making the call himself. With contemporaries like Bill Belichick and Kevin Colbert leaving storied franchises the Saints try to emulate, Loomis is left alone.

And the gap between him and the next generation of GM’s around the league is staggering. Here’s how Loomis stacks up among the NFL’s 10 longest-tenured executives:

Chiefs GM Brett Veach says re-signing Chris Jones, L’Jarius Sneed is ‘top of the list’

#Chiefs general manager Brett Veach says re-signing stars Chris Jones and L’Jarius Sneed is on ‘top of the list’ of his priorities.

The Kansas City Chiefs are preparing for their much-anticipated Super Bowl LVIII matchup with the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday. The prospect of adding another title hasn’t stalled the mindset of retaining critical stars during the offseason.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has been criticized and praised often throughout his tenure. The moves he’s made or didn’t make have been closely judged publicly, and still, his team is one win away from back-to-back titles and three over the last five years. Veach made an essential declaration on Thursday regarding two of the franchise’s star players entering free agency in the offseason.

“Sometimes I look at our situation, and I’m like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this,’ but we usually work through things systematically and have a list of the priorities,” Veach said during his conversation with ESPN’s Adam Teicher. “Certainly, Chris (Chris Jones) and LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) are at the top of the list…” It’s extremely hard because you have two keystone players there.”

Veach sounds optimistic with the target goal of keeping multiple-time Pro Bowler Chris Jones regardless of the issues he encountered last off-season that led to his holdout. This season, Sneed was considered a snub for both the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams, becoming an invaluable part of the secondary matching up against opposing teams’ best players.

Broncos would like to acquire more picks through trades

The Broncos would like to acquire more picks head of the NFL draft. They will be a team to watch when trade buzz heats up this spring.

With the NFL draft three months out, the Denver Broncos currently hold six picks. The Broncos are not expected to receive any compensatory picks this year, so the only way for Denver to add more selections would be via trade.

Broncos general manager George Paton has indicated in past offseasons that he likes to go into a draft with 10 picks, but that’s not always feasible. After trading for coach Sean Payton in 2023 and quarterback Russell Wilson in 2022, Denver only ended up adding five players last year.

Two years ago, the Broncos made nine picks. Three years ago — Paton’s first year on the job — Denver made 10 picks.

“We’re picking high, and we have six picks,” Paton said during the team’s end-of-season press conference last week. “We could have more. You know we like picks. We’ll go from there.”

Paton did not directly say the Broncos will make trades, but that’s understandable given that nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. It’s clear that Denver would like to make trades.

The team would probably love to trade quarterback Russell Wilson, but it might be hard to find a trade partner for him. More realistic trade candidates are wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. If the Broncos want to go all-in on a rebuilding phase with young players on rookie contracts, players like left tackle Garett Bolles and safety Justin Simmons might be trade candidates as well.

The NFL’s new league year won’t begin until March and trades can’t officially happen before then (but teams can make handshake agreements in the meantime). Another big date to watch is the NFL draft — Denver has been active with draft-day trades during Paton’s tenure.

As the NFL offseason heats up in the coming weeks, keep an eye on the Broncos as a team looking to acquire more draft picks.

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Social media reacts to Chargers hiring Joe Hortiz as general manager

The Chargers hired Joe Hortiz as their new GM. Here’s how Twitter reacted.

Joe Hortiz is the new general manager of the Chargers.

Social media has been quick to give Los Angeles kudos for the hire.

Let’s take a look at what is being said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chiefs GM Brett Veach calls QB Patrick Mahomes ‘a blessing’ for the franchise

Kansas City #Chiefs GM Brett Veach calls quarterback Patrick Mahomes ‘a blessing’ for the franchise.

The Kansas City Chiefs are heading to their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons, adding another exciting chapter to the team’s growing dynasty. It was a triumphant moment for everyone involved with the franchise, especially in the front office, making decisions for the personnel on the field.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is often praised and criticized weekly for the team’s performance, considering he is one of the architects of the roster. He handles it well daily but doesn’t appreciate spectators or opponents not having faith in his franchise quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.

Veach spoke about his appreciation for Mahomes being the face of the franchise during the AFC Championship postgame press conference.

“It’s a blessing that he’s part of this organization. He’s the best, and I try to describe a player like him because of everything he does,” said Veach. “He gives everyone that belief and hope that doesn’t matter what the odds are and where we’re playing and where we’re going. If we have ’15’ (Patrick Mahomes) under center, we have a shot. So it’s really hard to explain someone that good, but he’s the best.”

Mahomes shredded the Baltimore secondary mainly in the first half, finishing the game 30-39 for 241 yards and a touchdown, securing his fourth trip to the Super Bowl. During the postseason, various forms of criticism have been thrown at the reigning league MVP regarding his lack of experience in road games and other picky moments that Veach doesn’t understand.

“I’m not sure why anyone would do that and throw shade at him like that because he’s gonna give you his best shot anyway.” said Veach, “So there’s no need to poke the bear. But if they want to do it, we certainly appreciate it.”

The Chiefs will seek back-to-back Super Bowl titles in two weeks in Las Vegas as they remember being in this position during the 2020 season. The result at that time was falling short to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they went into this contest knowing they would genuinely have a neutral field.

Broncos GM George Paton knows ‘exactly’ what Sean Payton wants in a prospect

“We know exactly what he wants at each position,” Broncos GM George Paton said of scouting for coach Sean Payton in Year 2.

Going into his second offseason with head coach Sean Payton, Denver Broncos general manager George Paton now has a better understanding of what Payton looks for in a draft prospect.

The Broncos hold six draft picks this year, including 12th overall in the first round. Denver’s continuity this offseason will make life easier for Paton and the team’s scouts.

“It’s going to be huge,” Paton said when asked if it’s easier to scout for prospects with a returning coach. “We’ve had three coaches in three years. It’s hard on the building, and it is hard on the scouts. [We’ve had] new coaches coming in and out. Sean does a great job of describing the vision he wants for each position. The scouts have an idea, and the scouts are experts because Sean and the coaches talk so much about players and what they are looking for in players.

“Last year at this time, we were looking for a coach, but we feel like we have a big jump on the offseason because of [Payton returning]. We know exactly what he wants at each position, both on offense and defense. Vance [Joseph] does a great job of articulating, as well, with his staff. We feel like we have a head start.”

Paton knows exactly what Payton wants in a prospect, including quarterback prospects. So, will the Broncos target at QB at No. 12?

“Quarterback is a little different, but I do know what Sean is looking for in a quarterback,” Paton said. “We’ll see.”

The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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Panthers pass over Khai Harley to fill general manager position

The Panthers hired an internal candidate in Dan Morgan, not Saints executive Khai Harley, as their next general manager:

It looks like Khai Harley will be staying with the New Orleans Saints — the Carolina Panthers promoted an internal candidate to their general manager position after interviewing him, naming Dan Morgan to the post. Morgan had worked as their assistant general manager since 2021 and previously played for the Panthers as a Pro Bowl linebacker, though he finished his career with the Saints before retiring in 2009.

Carolina was the only reported interview request for Harley in this year’s cycle thus far, so unless another suitor emerges it’s safe to assume he’ll be staying in New Orleans. And that’s big news for the Saints front office. Harley’s management of the salary cap and knowledge of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement are indispensable resources.

He might be their future general manager, too. Speculation has swirled that longtime GM Mickey Loomis could step into a more hands-off role with the Saints someday, and while he said that may not happen in the near future, it isn’t something he would rule out altogether. If Loomis does vacate his seat then Harley would be a natural successor. But that’s a long ways off. For now Harley will be responsible for keeping the books in order and doing his part to help the Saints field a competitive team on Sundays.

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Broncos are too collaborative for one ‘final say’ on roster decisions

“We would not bring in a player that Sean [Payton] and I didn’t agree upon,” Broncos GM George Paton said.

When the Denver Broncos hired Sean Payton as head coach last year, there was some speculation that he would have the final say on roster decisions over general manager George Paton.

Payton and Paton both said last spring that they would have a “collaborative” working relationship that would not necessitate one having the final say.

The coach and GM have now gone through a full offseason of free agency and the draft and Paton maintains that neither has the final say on roster decisions.

“That hasn’t come up, and it certainly does not come up with Sean,” Paton said during his end-of-season press conference. “He’s so collaborative. We would not bring in a player that Sean and I didn’t agree upon.

“We wouldn’t bring in a player that two coaches probably [did not agree upon, or] a coach and a scout. We dissect it, and we get into it. We do deep dives. It has not really come up in my career very often, but it certainly hasn’t come up with Sean being here.”

Payton knows what he wants in a player as a coach, and Paton knows how to search for players as a former scout. It wouldn’t make sense for Paton to recommend a player that does not fit Payton’s scheme, so the GM’s comments about collaboration are certainly believable.

Paton and Payton are now set to enter their second offseason together this spring. Free agency begins in March and the draft will follow in April.

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