Raiders fire GM Telesco following 4-13 season

The Las Vegas Raiders have fired general manager Tom Telesco, the team announced Thursday.

Las Vegas hired Telesco last January and relieved him of his duties two days after dismissing head coach Antonio Pierce. The shake-up comes after the Raiders went 4-13 this season.

Telesco was fired because ownership wants its head coach and general manager to be more connected, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini. He was the Los Angeles Chargers' general manager from 2013-23 before landing with the Raiders.

The 52-year-old Telesco's big free-agency moves included releasing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and signing Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25-million deal with $15 million guaranteed. He also inked defensive tackle Christian Wilkins to a massive four-year, $110-million contract.

Las Vegas struggled on both sides of the ball in 2024, ranking 29th in points and 25th in points per contest allowed. Minshew ranked 29th in EPA/play of the 30 quarterbacks who took at least 350 snaps this season, according to Ben Baldwin's database.

Telesco selected Brock Bowers 13th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Georgia product had a historic inaugural season, breaking the tight end rookie receiving yards record that Mike Ditka had previously held since 1961. He also broke Puka Nacua's rookie catch record.

The Raiders have begun their coaching search by scheduling interviews with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh. They've also reportedly requested to interview Aaron Glenn, Steve Spagnuolo, and Todd Monken.

Tom Brady, now a minority owner of the Raiders, will apparently assist in the team's coaching search. Telesco wasn't involved in the process after Pierce was fired, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Las Vegas holds the sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft and has the second-most projected cap space in the league next season with $107.3 million, according to Over The Cap.