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The Detroit Lions are pondering who to hire as their next general manager and a Michigan native has made his call on who the choice should be.
According to NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, the Lions need to hire ESPN analyst Louis Riddick to become their next general manager. Johnson was on Twitter on Wednesday night, and explained why he feels that Riddick is the right man for the job in the Motor City.
According to Johnson, Riddick is the guy he trusts to lead the Lions and make the right hires at head coach as well as find the right players in order to help turn the team around in the future. He also says that he has the “utmost respect” for Riddick as well.
Johnson left the state decades ago following his successful college career at Michigan State, but has remained tied to Michigan and with this post, all but revealed he still cares about the Lions and wants to see them start to succeed on the field.
Louis Riddick Interviewing With Lions
Johnson will get his wish at least in terms of Riddick interviewing. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Riddick will be interviewing for a pair of general manager jobs this week. The first will come in Houston, and on Friday, he will interview for Detroit’s vacant gig. Rumors also say that the Jacksonville Jaguars could be interested in Riddick, making him one of the hottest candidates on the market.
Riddick is only the second known external candidate so far that the Lions will touch base with. Reports this week indicate the Lions will also sit down with former Texans general manager Rick Smith as well in the coming weeks ahead of the Christmas holiday. The Lions just hired Chris Spielman to the front office, and he will sit in on Riddick’s interview.
Detroit has also spoken with a trio of in-house candidates last week, but Riddick is likely the biggest name to surface in connection with the job thus far. The Lions have promised a wide ranging search, and could target a few more names ahead of the Christmas holiday to bring in for official interviews. The Lions cannot yet interview candidates from organizations across the league.
Louis Riddick’s Resume for Lions
The work of Mike Mayock and John Lynch transitioning from the broadcast booth to the general manager chair recently is something which makes Riddick an interesting name to remember for the Lions this coming offseason. Riddick has had few chances to interview for roles in the past, but with the Lions looking to cast a wide net, he will be a very savvy option for the team to remember. Before working in television, Riddick was a scout and the Director of Pro Personnel in both Washington and Philadelphia. Riddick has been out of the NFL executive side since 2013, but has remained close in the game working in television and understands plenty to be a great hire in Detroit. To that end, he’s much different than Matt Millen, who had no experience running a team of any kind or working in a front office when the Lions hired him away from Fox in 2000.
With the endorsement of one of the biggest figures in sports and from the state, it’s clear Johnson is letting it be known what he wants to see happen.
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