It should come as no surprise that the Los Angeles Chargers front office and coaching staff are attracting a lot of attention around the league. As of right now, they look to have orchestrated one of the biggest worst-to-first turnarounds in recent NFL history.
While defensive coordinator, Jesse Minter has been on the coaching radar for months now, a new name has risen to the top of the general manager candidate list, Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander.
Chargers Assistant Attracting Attention For GM Openings
In his recent article for Sports Illustrated, Hot Names to Watch As Potential Future NFL GMs, Albert Breer included Alexander as the second name on that list of 33 candidate.
“Alexander’s scouting acumen was known a decade ago in Baltimore, where he was hidden under a deep roster of Ravens scouts,” Breer writes, “Joe Douglas plucked him from there to work for the Jets, where he helped build a good team before going to the Chargers with ex-Ravens colleague Joe Hortiz, who offered to make him the No. 2, after he’d been the No. 3 in New York. On top of his ability to evaluate, Alexander’s shown natural leadership and has been a key voice for the Chargers over the last year.”
Alexander spent just over 20 years with the Ravens, working his way up the ladder a player personnel assistant in 1999-2003, to area scout for the next six years, then named assistnat director of player personnel in 2009. He spent the next decade in that role before moving to the New York Jets.
If the Ravens were in the market for a new general manager, a reunion would make all the sense in the world. They aren’t, another former employer is, the Jets. The Jets fired Douglas in late Novmeber this year.
The Jets have vowed to cast a net far and wide to find their next GM and Alexander will likely be on that list. Ex-Titans GM Jon Robinson and ex-Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff have already interviewed with the Jets. ESPN analyst Louis Riddick has as well.
While it may seem like a long shot given the heavy hitters and unconventional search, but for a team like the Jets, a Chargers style turnaround is exactly what they are looking for after whiffing on Aaron Rodgers’ second act and failing to make the playoffs for the last 14 years. Of course, having already worked in the building should bolster his chances, despite his connection with Douglas.
And according to Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz, Chad had a lot to do with building the new-look team.
“The great thing with Chad is Chad can just run with it,” Hortiz said of Alexander. “He’s such a great leader. And he’s a great evaluator, a great leader, extremely intelligent and just organized and just has everything the roadmap already laid out before I even go in there. It’s great.”