LOS ANGELES –The Chargers have chosen their next general manager in Joe Hortiz, the Baltimore RavensRavens’ director of player personnel, according to multiple reports.
Hortiz went from working for 16 years with John Harbaugh to teaming up with Jim Harbaugh.
He has been a lifelong Raven, starting with them in 1998 as a personnel assistant and working his way to pro scout, then director of college scouting, and finished as a director of player personnel.
He learned under current general manager Eric DeCosta and former GM Ozzie Newsome. He has been a part of two Super Bowl teams being built, along with several versions of one of the best defenses in the modern era.
“When you’ve had the privilege of working with one organization your entire career, something that’s exceedingly rare in our business, the opportunity and fit has to pretty much be perfect to consider a change,” Hortiz said in a press release from the team.
Going from Baltimore to Los Angeles will be completely different, especially with all the work needed. Many decisions need to be discussed, like receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, along with edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. They account for around 59% of the team’s salary for 2024, and they are $54.2 million over the cap.
“When you consider his football IQ, eye for talent, ability to think both short and long term as it pertains to roster construction, organization, thoroughness and ability to be creative within the confines of our collective bargaining agreement, it’s hard not to be excited about the future,” President of Football Operations John Spanos said.
It isn’t considered “cap hell” because they can make some moves to be in the clear, but what those moves are will be something to monitor. Plus, there are some free agents on this team, and they lack depth on both sides of the ball.
The team fired general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Brandon Staley after a 63-21 blowout loss to the Raiders in week 15, especially after a disappointing 2023 season. They needed two new voices at the top.
Chargers’ ownership is moving forward with Hortiz and Harbaugh as their duo is looking to retool this team. Hortiz, in the past, has been a major contributor to the Ravens being one of the more successful teams in the last 30 years. They have built Super Bowl teams…now they are tasked with creating a consistent winning team around quarterback Justin Herbert.
“The Chargers’ brand, the uniforms, foundational building blocks already on the roster, a new training facility, SoFi Stadium and a clear commitment from the Spanos family to dedicating every resource possible towards bringing a Lombardi trophy home to our fans; it’s all there,” Hortiz said.
