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Recently Tom Telesco was a guest on ‘Check the Mic’ with ex-PFF’s Steve Palazzolo & Sam Monson, where the conversations meandered around all sorts of topics about his career in the NFL. It was a fascinating discussion, and I quite enjoyed listening to Tom talk without the specter of a current job’s pressures hovering over him.
However, given some of the things he discussed, I could not help but take a critical eye to many of his answers. With my Armchair Chargers GM hat on, I have compiled some key things that I gleaned from the almost 90-minute conversation.
Am I being hyper-critical? Yes. Could it come off as harsh? Absolutely. Am I NFL GM? No, I am not.
What can I do? I can try to offer some insight into why the Bolts never really went anywhere with him at the helm, and why within the span of 18 months Telesco is now not even in the league.
I’d be keen to hear what people have to say!
(Quotes have been paraphrased, and my analysis is added to each)
Tom Telesco on:
Leaving the NFL and Volunteering
What he said: He’s volunteering at a local high school to stay connected to football after 38 years in the game.
Critical Take:
This is admirable on a human level, but Telesco positions this as purely about staying involved. However, for someone who’s held enormous responsibility and managed NFL rosters, he doesn’t seem to reflect deeply on whether stepping away offers him any new insights or critique of how the NFL system works — particularly in relation to burnout, diversity in leadership, or player wellbeing.
Working with Bill Polian
What he said: Polian never yelled at him, was loyal, and gave him responsibilities from early on.
Critical take:
Telesco doesn’t critically examine Polian’s old-school authoritarian style. Being proud of being “the guy who checked the car for a bomb” signals blind loyalty rather than healthy workplace boundaries. That’s not a story of professional trust — it’s a story of hierarchy taken to the extreme.
Also, from memory (I may be wrong) Polian infamously dismissed analytics late in his career. Telesco brushes over this tension, defending Polian as “always into numbers,” which seems revisionist.
NFL Teams Getting Smarter
What he said: There are fewer “basket case” teams and more consensus picks now.
Critical take:
This overlooks how groupthink can make mistakes more uniform. Just because teams aren’t making bizarre picks doesn’t mean they’re smarter — they might be more risk-averse or overly reliant on consensus boards. The current issue perhaps isn’t just bad picks; maybe it’s a lack of innovation in player evaluation.
Keeping Coaches and Scouts Separate
What he said: He avoids mixed meetings to prevent groupthink and encourages separate evaluations.
Critical take:
This can work — but also risks siloing the process. If disagreements emerge late, they may be too entrenched to resolve constructively. Telesco never explains how he reconciles major divergences or incorporates analytics into these conversations — it’s all very opaque. This is something I personally dislike as a management technique.
the 1999 Draft and Edgerrin James
What he said: Chose Edgerrin over Ricky Williams due to fit and culture.
Critical take:
The decision worked out, but Telesco admits that Bill Polian rejected an enormous trade offer (entire Saints draft + extra picks). While Polian had conviction, this also reflects a lack of flexibility or modern asset-based thinking. Many GMs today would rightly value the pick haul and consider positional value — RBs, especially. Also, he frames fan outrage (including a bomb threat) almost nostalgically — without reflecting on how emotionally irrational or toxic that reaction was.
Pre-Draft Scenarios
What he said: Used mock draft simulators, rehearsed every situation, and disliked uncertainty on the clock.
Critical take:
This shows good prep (or maybe not), but Telesco seems overconfident in predictability. He admits he was shocked by six QBs going early in 2024 and didn’t expect the Falcons to take Penix — proving that you can’t rehearse every twist. His belief in predictability is contradicted by his own experiences. That shows me a lack of reflection.
Justin Herbert vs. Tua Tagovailoa
What he said: They liked both, but medical red flags on Tua pushed them toward Herbert.
Critical take:
Fair reasoning, but he leans heavily on medical risk — despite the fact that other teams (like the Dolphins) felt Tua’s hip was manageable. The idea that “Anthony Lynn wanted mobility” becomes a retroactive justification. He never acknowledges that many scouts thought Herbert lacked leadership and risked being too robotic — and that those concerns were real pre-draft. Was Telesco just lucky? Who knows.
Scheme Fit and Coaching Turnover
What he said: Tried to avoid highly scheme-specific players; preferred versatility.
Critical take:
Sensible, but there’s an unstated tension: versatile players often cost more or are harder to find. He doesn’t explore trade-offs between scheme fit and cost or acknowledge that he still made picks for systems that quickly changed (e.g., Chargers’ defense under multiple coordinators). Some of his roster-building decisions didn’t adapt well to scheme changes. This was one major shortfall of him as a GM in my opinion.
Cutting Players from the Draft Board
What he said: If the scouts and coaches couldn’t agree on a player, he would just remove them.
Critical take:
This sounds decisive, but may actually signal overly cautious management. How many high-ceiling players did the Chargers pass on due to lack of consensus? Did this contribute to their consistent underperformance? Bold teams sometimes embrace calculated risk even without 100% buy-in.
Drafting Brock Bowers
What he said: Despite not wanting to draft a TE high, they took Bowers at #13 due to offensive need.
Critical take:
This contradicts his earlier stance on positional value. The Raiders had other needs, and Michael Mayer was already on the roster. He rationalises it after the fact, which weakens his consistency on team-building philosophy. Is he sticking to principles or justifying improvisation?
Arm Length for O-Linemen
What he said: Arm length wasn’t a major concern; movement, balance, and anchor mattered more.
Critical take:
This is logically sound — but he never mentions how Slater’s arm length was flagged pre-draft and required defending. Many teams did drop Slater down their board for this reason. He doesn’t engage with that — misses the chance to show how he advocated for Slater within an organisation that clearly had doubts.
GMs vs Head Coaches Getting Second Chances
What he said: GMs get fewer second chances because owners prefer “clean slates.”
Critical take:
While true, he misses a deeper issue: accountability in hiring cycles. GMs are rarely held to consistent standards — and owners often don’t understand their contributions. Telesco doesn’t reflect on how privilege, relationships, or optics play into second chances — nor does he offer critique on the lack of diversity among GMs. I wonder if he will get a third chance?
Final Thoughts
Overall, what I gleaned from the interview is that Telesco is:
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Prepared, meticulous, and loyal.
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Risk-averse, sometimes to a fault.
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Reluctant to question the power structures or legacies that shaped him. This is one of the biggest red flags for me as a modern professional.
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Presents himself as a steward of “process,” but rarely interrogates the outcomes of those processes when they fall short.
I believe that in today’s world, and in the ‘smarter’ NFL, GM candidates should be experts at introspection, adaptability, and principled risk-taking. Telesco shows glimmers of all three, but still clings to hierarchical, conservative models of leadership — ones that may explain why his teams often fell short of greatness, and why he is no longer ‘Tommy Tickets’ but ‘Tommy, go grab me my water bottle’ (spoken from a HS Varsity QB).
Hey Jack: I listened to this interview too. I am not a journalist, podcaster or NFL GM. That said, I thought the interview was bullshit and interviewers did a super-friendly interview, which made the interview significantly worse.
- Why do you think you were able to hire three ultimately unsuccessful NFL head coaches (McCoy and Lynn can’t even hold down coordinator roles)?
- How often were you sober while drafting in the 3rd round (Trey McKitty???)?
- What role did John Spanos play in the draft room?
- Why do you think you had a losing record and only 2 playoff wins in spite of having (borderline) HOF QB play during the 11 years of your tenure?
So many good questions they could have pressed him on. It was just bullshit like “what was it like working with Polian?” and “how did you value arm length?” Who gives a fuck? Shitty interview.
Tom is 52 and obviously wants another GM job. I don’t think this interview did him any favors. He looked weak and feckless, with no principles or discipline. He was simply aggregating opinions, then doing what John Spanos wanted him to do.
As I said, I am not an NFL GM (and very likely never will be). However, I (and many others) could see the blatant mistakes Telesco made over and over again. When the obvious choice fell to him, he took it (James, Herbert, Slater). He lucked out on a few later round picks (like Keenan). However, continually trading up, never trading down, never making in-season trades, the ridiculous “I’m smarter than you” 3rd round reaches. Telesco was a shitty GM who managed his roster like he was playing Madden He lucked into great QBs which masked the lack of quality depth, which were the hallmark of his time with the Chargers.
Hortiz and the current leadership team continually make quality decisions. I sometimes scratch my head with signings like Alex Leatherwood, but for every one of those, we get a Tony Jefferson (or the dozen DBs they signed off the street last year). Watching this leadership team operate highlights to me the crime the Spanos family perpetrated on Rivers and Herbert. Both of them deserve the opportunity to compete for a Championship. Phil never had a chance with the teams and staff Telesco put together. I think Herbert will now get his shot (thank god).
@kevdiego Their intent was not to press him to wall over his record. Their intent was to try to gain insight into how he prepared for and executed the draft, which includes how he thought about player evaluation. I enjoyed the interview.
By the way, you seem kind of angry here. Hope all is well.
@tau837 I’m half-way through a one month trip through eastern Asia (Taiwan and Japan). So, not really angry.
It’s just frustrating to think about how the Chargers had no chance during the second half of Rivers career. With a good team and a HC that was a very good OC, Rivers had his team right there. That team should have competed for the next 10 years. Instead, the personnel got worse every year and Rivers had no shot. If I had a chance to interview Telesco, I would be prepared to discuss what went wrong during that era. With Rivers at QB (and never missing a game), how the fuck did he have an overall losing record as a GM? To me, that’s the most interesting question.
@kevdiego I am still upset about drafting a safety (a position that is the last tackler for an explosive play) who cannot tackle. That decision is completely aassainine.
@kevdiego It’s quite an incredible tenure at the Chargers when you think about. He did JUST enough to get by, but NEVER enough to actually get anywhere. As I found when I was writing the article, I just found so many things to raise my eyebrow and go ‘what’? It was a soft interview, and as @tau837 says both Steve and Sam are great operators.
But I think that is kind of the career Tom’s had, right? Kind of soft? Maybe couldn’t shift the thinking of the Spanos’ enough? Very strange career arc, and whether it has ended or not I am unsure. But that interview doesn’t really do him justice if he IS trying to find another job.
@wrefordreed89 I always thought that Telesco’s strength was how well he fit snuggly up Johns Spanos’ ass. I think that, coming out of an era where AJ Smith didn’t take any shit from anyone, including the ownership group, head coach, etc, that ability was highly valued by the Spanos family.
That trait got them a lot of tranquility in the front office, and lots of losing on the field. Good to see that (at least by appearances), the Spanos family has learned from this 11 year long mistake.
As far as Telesco’s future; I think the best thing he could do now is take accountability for the record, talk about what he learned and would do differently if given another opportunity.
Jack,
I have not listened to the entire interview. I got about halfway through it so far, so I will react here to your paraphrasing of the conversation.
1. I think the “volunteering” angle was total BS. He never said he wanted to take a step back or just needed a reset. The fact is he wasn’t offered anything which seems weird because all these guys that have been in the league are in the boys club to some extent. I mean for Christ’s sake even Staley was able to find a landing spot. I think this was a calculated response because of course he would love to be back in the league. This response gives him the shine of helping the kids while waiting patiently for an opportunity.
2. If I am not mistaken, Telesco played football with Polian’s kid in college and was really close with the family and might still have a relationship with the family to this day. He would never have any negative commentary concerning his time with Polian or the Colts.
3. I think NFL teams are getting smarter. At the very least, what have we seen over the last decade? The old guards (Mara, Davis, Wilson) who had their own unique style of how they wanted their team to be run are passing on and teams are starting to hire executives and front office people from successful organizations. After a while the same concepts and styles will become more standard from an evaluation process. Naturally, teams will still have some surprising picks like Penix, but the Clelin Ferrell and Leatherwood shockers will be happening less and less IMO.
4. I could see having coaches and scouts separate for the initial evaluation process to determine their own player analytics, but eventually the teams should have meetings including everyone to see where the differences and agreements are on players. Without inclusion, how can different ideas be shared between groups?
5. If that story of the 1999 draft is true, it is moronic and could be the reason TT never made any trade downs in the draft. If a team is offering their entire draft for one pick, there is no scenario in the world where you would not take that unless it was for a no brainer QB like Elway, Manning, Luck etc. A haul like that and smart trades after that could still be paying dividends half a decade later. Plus, Williams was the consensus #1 RB that year. They could have made that trade and if they were concerned about not getting him they would have had plenty of capital to move up a few spots. Shockingly dumb.
6. As we have discussed previously, it is good to get an idea of what might happen, but you have to create your own board and have the flexibility to pivot. I think this was an issue for Hortiz this year. I think the 3 or 4 players they were targeting were all off the board once Harmon went to Pitt and they were scrambling to trade out. Hampton might have been the highest player on their board, so it was a default pick, but there was no way I can be convinced he was the target.
7. The Herbert vs Tua debate? Who cares? The decision was made for him regardless, so he can spew whatever he wants about the process at this point. Why not take the path that makes him look better.
8. I have never been a scheme fit guy. For the most part, the players drafted in the early rounds will probably be there longer than the current regime. Just draft the best players and hopefully you have the coaches to put them in the best positions possible. See Jesse Minter. Players like Khalil Mack and Von Miller have been successful in multiple schemes. Talent trumps everything.
9. Cutting players from the draft board b/c coaches and scouts couldn’t agree is also moronic. That’s like throwing your TV out because the kids can’t decide on what to watch. The GM is the parent. You listen to both sides and you have the final say on what gets done. This sure sounds like his decisions were very influenced by the process of others. Big mistake. Some of the scouts and coaches are still there and he’s on his couch waiting for a call. When your in the batters box, go down swinging.
10. Brock Bowers goes back to point #8. Draft the best players. Would anyone who watched his rookie season now worry about positional value?
11. Arm length can be a tool in evaluation, but production matters more. Slater and Will Campbell are a good example of this. Slater was another example of the pick being made for him. If Sewell was taken by the Bengals I am sure Slater doesn’t make it past Detroit. If that’s the case, I wonder who TT chooses in that draft?
12. The last point I am indifferent about. While most guys never get a chance to sit in the GM chair again, most find cushy landing spots in the boys club to continue to rake in great $ without the stress of the GM role. I wish I failed that well.
@evolz3737 Yep agree with everything you say. Especially this point (from my perspective as a teacher of kids, too!)
Cutting players from the draft board b/c coaches and scouts couldn’t agree is also moronic. That’s like throwing your TV out because the kids can’t decide on what to watch. The GM is the parent. You listen to both sides and you have the final say on what gets done.
Telesco seems ‘nice’ and ‘kind’, but I don’t think that’s what was required in the context he was in. It is so strange, because he seems to LOVE Polian, and Polian was a psycho! You’d think Telesco would be more like that! But perhaps it was the wunderkind issue…too young and too inexperienced when he landed the job.
Also this point
While most guys never get a chance to sit in the GM chair again, most find cushy landing spots in the boys club to continue to rake in great $ without the stress of the GM role. I wish I failed that well.
It goes to show that he isn’t even in an organisation currently. Even STALEY has found another senior position!
Thanks for replying.
This is what I posted in response to Alister when he posted the interview:
I listen to this show regularly, as I think it is one of the best NFL podcasts I am aware of. It was an interesting interview.
As he always did, Telesco came across as a good guy and also as a guy who really tried hard at his job and tried to approach it methodically. I would wonder more if he was affected negatively by the Spanos influence if not for the fact that the Raiders fired him after one year.
When he said to Sam and Steve that he/they always knew what to expect in the first two rounds, I would have followed up by asking if he expected to get Slater at 1.13 and expected to get James at 1.17. I would have also asked him to explain the thinking and process behind trading up for Gordon, Murray, Attaochu, and Teo. I would also have used that to ask him his views on how he views positional value, given all 4 of those trade ups were for what are today viewed as non-premium positions. I get that these guys aren’t trying to be Daniel Popper vs. Brandon Staley here, though.
The fact that Polian declined the “Ricky Williams trade” might say something about how Telesco’s thinking was influenced by Polian. I had to go back and look at this. This is what the Saints traded to Washington in that trade:
- 1999 1st (12)
- 1999 3rd (71)
- 1999 4th (107)
- 1999 5th (144)
- 1999 6th (179)
- 1999 7th (218)
- 2000 1st (2)
- 2000 3rd (64)
All for 1999 1st (5).
The idea that Polian turned down a package like that to draft Edgerrin James is lunacy. Washington didn’t do a great job with the picks, bundling several to trade up for Champ Bailey, who they later traded to Denver. But that is a ridiculous haul. Can you imagine what Hortiz could do with all those picks added to his own set of picks?
@tau837 this is an important point to now consider:
I would wonder more if he was affected negatively by the Spanos influence if not for the fact that the Raiders fired him after one year.
I do wonder what the Spanos saw in him…a yes man? A man who wouldn’t complain? A man who provided a bridge for Dean to take full control and feel like he was stepping out from under his father’s shadow?
With the quick hire/fire of Telesco at the Raiders you have to think there is something that is missing in terms of what modern day NFL owners are looking for.
I really think being such a young GM with minimal experience other than at the Colts (he was at Buffalo, Carolina before Indianapolis) has possibly hampered his development in some way, and then heading to an organising in limbo/fighting with their own city is challenging.
He is what he is. But now we can ponder stuff like this: Can you imagine what Hortiz could do with all those picks added to his own set of picks? This kind of pondering is something that I am now grateful for!
@tau837 I had mostly forgotten about that trade. What a horrible move by Ditka. And very foolish by Polian to not make that more. That stubborn, misplaced arrogance was apparent during all the bad trade-ups and 3rd round reaches.
He’s gone. Good riddance. His employment status in the NFL is post-mortem enough for me. I bury dead horses.
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