General manager (American football)

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A general manager (GM) in American football is a team executive who is typically the head of football operations, which includes leading the scouting department and being responsible for handling free agent transactions and contract negotiations with players and coaches. Under such a model, the GM reports directly to the owner or team president. However, some team owners serve as their own GM or employ one who act in a supporting role to the head coach. Al Davis of the Oakland Raiders was an example of an owner who also served as GM, while Bill Belichick is an example of a head coach having de facto GM responsibilities during his tenure with the New England Patriots.

Contents

Responsibilities

The general manager (GM) is typically the head of football operations, which includes leading the scouting department and being responsible for handling free agent transactions and contract negotiations with players and coaches. The scouting department's role is to evaluate college football players entering the annual NFL draft. [1] During the NFL Combine, general managers will interview players. [2]  

Many GMs begin their front office career as an assistant scout and are promoted into roles such as director of college scouting or vice president of player personnel before being GM. The GM is also responsible for negotiating contracts with players and coaches. [3] As with head coaches and some players, GMs are required by the NFL to attend press conferences with the media. During the season, general managers will work 100 hours or more a week. [3] Some Pro Football Hall of Fame general managers include Tex Schramm, Al Davis, Bill Polian, Ron Wolf, Bobby Beathard, Gil Brandt, and George Young.

List of NFL general managers

TeamGeneral managerHiredRef.
Arizona Cardinals Monti Ossenfort 2023 [4]
Atlanta Falcons Terry Fontenot 2021 [5]
Baltimore Ravens Eric DeCosta 2019 [6]
Buffalo Bills Brandon Beane 2017 [7]
Carolina Panthers Dan Morgan 2024 [8]
Chicago Bears Ryan Poles 2022 [9]
Cincinnati Bengals Duke Tobin [lower-alpha 1] 1999 [10]
Cleveland Browns Andrew Berry 2020 [11]
Dallas Cowboys Jerry Jones [lower-alpha 2] 1989 [12]
Denver Broncos George Paton 2021 [13]
Detroit Lions Brad Holmes 2021 [14]
Green Bay Packers Brian Gutekunst 2018 [15]
Houston Texans Nick Caserio 2021 [16]
Indianapolis Colts Chris Ballard 2017 [17]
Jacksonville Jaguars Trent Baalke 2021 [18]
Kansas City Chiefs Brett Veach 2017 [19]
Las Vegas Raiders Tom Telesco 2024 [20]
Los Angeles Chargers Joe Hortiz 2024 [21]
Los Angeles Rams Les Snead 2012 [22]
Miami Dolphins Chris Grier 2016 [23]
Minnesota Vikings Kwesi Adofo-Mensah 2022 [24]
New England Patriots Eliot Wolf [lower-alpha 3] 2024 [25]
New Orleans Saints Mickey Loomis 2002 [26]
New York Giants Joe Schoen 2022 [27]
New York Jets Joe Douglas 2019 [28]
Philadelphia Eagles Howie Roseman 2010 [29]
Pittsburgh Steelers Omar Khan 2007 [30]
San Francisco 49ers John Lynch 2017 [31]
Seattle Seahawks John Schneider 2010 [32]
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jason Licht 2014 [33]
Tennessee Titans Ran Carthon 2023 [34]
Washington Commanders Adam Peters 2024 [35]

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References

  1. ↑ Bengals owner Mike Brown officially has the general manager title. Tobin, the team's director of player personnel, holds de facto GM responsibilities.
  2. ↑ Jones, the team's owner, holds the additional titles of president and general manager. In the 2010s, he ceded some decision-making power to son Stephen Jones and senior personnel executive Will McClay.
  3. ↑ Executive vice president of player personnel serving as de facto GM
  1. ↑ Weathersby, Edwin. "A Scout's Take on How College Football Recruits Are Evaluated". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  2. ↑ "Inside pre-NFL draft prospect interviews: What teams ask at the combine and why". ESPN.com. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  3. 1 2 "How to Become an NFL General Manager". JobsInSports Blog. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  4. ↑ Weinfuss, Josh (January 16, 2023). "Cardinals hire Titans exec Monti Ossenfort as new general manager". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  5. ↑ Tabeek, Matthew (2021-01-19). "Falcons name Terry Fontenot general manager". www.atlantafalcons.com. Retrieved 2021-01-19.
  6. ↑ Mink, Ryan. "Eric DeCosta's Rise to General Manager Is a Story for Patient Dreamers". baltimoreravens.com. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  7. ↑ Sessler, Marc. "Buffalo Bills name Brandon Beane general manager". NFL.com. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  8. ↑ Gantt, Darin (January 22, 2024). "Dan Morgan named President of Football Operations/General Manager". Panthers.com. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ Mayer, Larry (January 25, 2022). "Bears hire Ryan Poles as general manager". Chicago Bears . Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ Daugherty, Paul. "Doc: These are the Bengals' good new days". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  11. ↑ Gribble, Andrew. "Andrew Berry named Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations and General Manager". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "Executive Profile – Jerry Jones". Dallas Cowboys. Archived from the original on March 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ Gordon, Grant (January 12, 2021). "George Paton agrees to six-year deal as new Broncos general manager". NFL.com. NFL Enterprises, LLC. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  14. ↑ Patra, Kevin. "Lions agree to terms with Brad Holmes on five-year deal as new GM". NFL.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  15. ↑ Wesseling, Chris. "Packers hiring Brian Gutekunst as general manager". NFL.com. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  16. ↑ Wilson, Aaron (January 6, 2020). "New Texans GM Nick Caserio signs contract". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  17. ↑ O'Keefe, PJ (January 30, 2017). "Colts hire Chris Ballard as new General Manager". RTV6. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  18. ↑ Oehser, John (January 21, 2021). "Baalke named general manager". www.jaguars.com. Retrieved 2022-01-08.
  19. ↑ "Chiefs promote Brett Veach to general manager". NFL.com. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  20. ↑ "Raiders name Tom Telesco General Manager". Raiders.com. January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Los Angeles Chargers Agree to Terms with Joe Hortiz as General Manager". chargers.com. January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  22. ↑ Yasinskas, Pat (February 12, 2012). "Source: Rams to hire Les Snead as GM". ESPN . Retrieved October 28, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Dolphins finalize hiring of Chris Grier as general manager". USA Today. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  24. ↑ "Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Named New Vikings General Manager". Minnesota Vikings. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  25. ↑ Price, Christopher. "Meet Eliot Wolf, the man who has the pedigree to make personnel decisions for the Patriots". Boston Globe. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  26. ↑ "PLUS: PRO FOOTBALL; SAINTS PROMOTE LOOMIS". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  27. ↑ "Giants hire Joe Schoen as next general manager". NFL.com. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  28. ↑ Cimini, Rich (June 7, 2019). "Jets hire Douglas from Eagles as their new GM". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  29. ↑ Frank, Reuben. "Understanding the complicated legacy of Howie Roseman". NBC Sports Philadelphia. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  30. ↑ Pryor, Brooke. "Pittsburgh Steelers promote Omar Khan to take over as GM". ESPN. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  31. ↑ Orr, Conor. "San Francisco 49ers name John Lynch general manager". NFL.com. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  32. ↑ Pasquarelli, Len. "Seahawks hire Schneider". ESPN. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  33. ↑ "Bucs hire Cards' Licht as general manager". January 21, 2014.
  34. ↑ Wyatt, Jim (January 18, 2023). "Titans Hire Former 49ers Director of Player Personnel Ran Carthon as the Team's New General Manager". tennesseetitans.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  35. ↑ Selby, Zach (January 15, 2024). "Commanders hire Adam Peters as general manager". Commanders.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.


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