While the Las Vegas Raiders have endured a tough season, some have had far worse luck.
Take the New York Jets, for example. They came into this season with real expectations due to a strong defensive showing in 2023 and the return of Aaron Rodgers, but the results have not materialized. The Jets are tied with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres for the longest playoff drought in North American sports at 13 years and, with a current 3-8 record, they are poised to extend that streak to 14.
The struggles have led the Jets to make drastic changes, firing head coach Robert Saleh on Oct. 8 and general manager Joe Douglas on Tuesday.
As is always the case with a new job opening, speculation has run rampant on who will be replacing the departed pair. As for Douglas’s GM position, Raiders assistant general manager Champ Kelly has been tabbed as a possible replacement.
“Champ Kelly, who’s worked in NFL front offices since 2007, has been at the forefront of general manager searches over the past two offseasons, but he’s yet to land a GM position,” says Dallas Robinson of Pro Football Network.
“He interviewed with the Panthers and Broncos in 2021, the Bears and Raiders in 2022, and the Panthers and Raiders in 2024.”
Kelly has been one of the most highly-regarded executives in the NFL for a while, as teams have consistently given him interviews for general manager positions around the league. He has worked with the Raiders since 2022 as assistant general manager, and even served as interim general manager for the team in 2023 after they had fired Dave Ziegler.
Kelly already has a connection with the Jets, as they interviewed him for their general manager spot in 2019 while he was working for the Chicago Bears before they ultimately decided to hire Douglas.
It feels like a matter of when, not if, Kelly gets the opportunity to become a general manager of an NFL team. If the Jets interview him again, they may not pass on him a second time.
