Official: Chargers hire Ravens’ Director of Player Personnel Joe Hortiz as General Manager

The longtime assistant executive will reportedly be getting his first shot to run a front office.

UPDATE: On Tuesday, January 30, the Los Angeles Chargers officially announced they’ve signed Joe Hortiz as their General Manager.

Five days after bringing Baltimore Ravens Director of Player Personnel Joe Hortiz for a second interview to fill their General Manager vacancy, the Los Angeles Chargers are working to hire him, according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The news comes on the same day they officially introduced Jim Harbaugh, younger brother of Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh, as their next head coach after agreeing to terms last week. Hortiz will be going from collaborating with one Harbaugh brother to working in tandem with another as they look to turn around what has been a talented yet woefully underwhelming Chargers team for the past decade-plus.

Hortiz completed his first interview with the Chargers virtually on January 13 and was one of two finalists for the position with the other being New York Giants’ Assistant General Manager Brandon Brown, who was also brought in for a second interview in person last week. He is taking over for former Chargers’ General Manager Tom Telesco who was fired during the regular season and recently hired to lead the Las Vegas Raiders’ front office in the same role.

Hortiz was an integral member of the Ravens front office since 1998 after starting out scouting both pro and college players and has served in other key roles including the director of college scouting. He had been serving in his current role since 2019, was Ravens’ General Manager Eric DeCosta’s chief personnel evaluator, and previously worked closely with DeCosta’s predecessor, Ozzie Newsome, who is now the Ravens’ executive vice president.

The 48-year-old is a well-respected executive with a good eye for talent as was integral in the selection of several perennial Pro Bowlers and All-Pros for the Ravens over the past two decades. By taking on this job, he has to navigate a murky cap situation and make some tough decisions as it pertains to expensive and injury-prone veteran players. Fortunately, the Chargers already have a franchise quarterback in place and are locked up on a long-term deal with Justin Herbert. Replenishing their ranks with a strong draft class will be paramount given their limited projected financial flexibility.