Will bypassed candidate stay in Las Vegas?
Many fans and league observers though that the interim head coach Antonio Pierce and interim general manager Champ Kelly were going to be package deal.
The assumption was that the both Pierce and Kelly, who took over for the fired Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, on Halloween night they they would either both be promoted in 2024 or they would both be replaced.
Yet, as it turns out, Pierce was hired last Friday and Kelly was bypassed for the general manager job in favor of former Chargers general manager Tom Telesco.
Now, the question looms, will Kelly stay in Las Vegas?
It is general practice in the NFL when an interim doesn’t get retained, they leave the organization as was he case with interim head coach Rich Bisaccia in Las Vegas in 2021.
Kelly is under contract and it is possible that he stays as the assistant general manager, a role he began in 2022 under Ziegler. But he may want to leave and the team would likely not get in his way. Also, it could be awkward for Kelly and Telesco to work together after they were competitors for the same job. But, again it’s possible he stays.
Kelly did interview along with Ziegler two years ago and he came from Chicago as the assistant general manager. But that was a promotion.
There is a lot for the Raiders to figure out in the coming days and Kelly’s future is part of that equation.
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