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While much of the Las Vegas Raiders news in recent days and weeks has focused on interim head coach Antonio Pierce, the Raiders could yet have another issue worth hefty consideration: the future of general manager Champ Kelly, who was named the team’s interim GM when coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler were fired at the end of October.
No matter what happens with Pierce, Kelly will figure to be a hot commodity on the market this offseason. In fact, at Pro Football Focus, they have identified Kelly as one of the “rising stars” in NFL front-office circuits.
That means we can expect Kelly to interview for a variety of NFL GM jobs if there is no Raiders news on his future.
“Now serving as the Raiders’ interim general manager, Champ Kelly has worked on the pro personnel side for the majority of his NFL career with a background as a player, coach, contract advisor and general manager of a United Indoor Football team,” PFF wrote. “While the Raiders’ 2023 draft class is off to a slow start, the team added contributors in wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, linebacker Robert Spillane, safety Marcus Epps, tight end Austin Hooper and cornerback Marcus Peters, among others, in free agency.”
Champ Kelly Has Diverse Football Background
Indeed, Champ Kelly has a wide-ranging background that is considered valuable around the NFL. He was a player at Kentucky before he signed on to play with the Lexington Horsemen of the United Football League. He was also a coach and the team’s general manager before he broke into NFL scouting ranks, first with the Broncos and then with the Bears.
Kelly made Raiders news when he signed on with the team as Ziegler’s assistant GM in 2022.
“Before joining the NFL ranks, Kelly was a certified NFL contract advisor and general manager/wide receivers coach for the Lexington Horsemen of the UIF. Kelly helped the Horsemen win the United Bowl III. He has perhaps as diverse a football background as any candidate,” PFF noted.
Pierce & Kelly Working Relationship Is Good Raiders News
One thing that does become apparent in the PFF sketch of Champ Kelly, though, is that if he did make Raiders news as the team’s new permanent GM, he would not necessarily be wed to Antonio Pierce as the coach. Kelly has ties to the likes of offensive coordinator Frank Smith in Miami, as well as Cincinnati coordinator Brian Callahan.
But while Ziegler was brought in to be McDaniels’ lapdog, that is not the dynamic between Kelly and Pierce. That could be a good thing for a continued working relationship, should Champ Kelly get the job.
“It goes hand in hand,” Pierce said. “If we’re not partners in this and walking side by side, that’s a problem. And you’ve seen really good relationships in the NFL from afar. I think what Champ Kelly has done, which I really appreciate, is he has his opinion, he has his thought and his vision, but he brings it to me before he even says it, then asks me mine. And I think if we agree or disagree, we walk out understanding what’s best for the organization, what’s best for the team, what’s best for us.
“When you have that, there is no hidden agenda, and everything’s out in the open, it’s black and white. There’s no gray in this room, there’s no gray in this building. Everybody knows where they stand, and Champ I know where each other stand.”
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