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Former NFL GM Tom Telesco Has Landed A New Job

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Jul 22, 2025 2:11 PM ET

Former NFL general manager Tom Telesco found a new gig ahead of the 2025 season.

Telesco lasted just one year with the Las Vegas Raiders following a decade as the Los Angeles Chargers' GM. This could mark the first time since 1990 that he doesn't spend the season with an NFL organization.

Telesco has instead landed a new media opportunity. He made his debut hosting a SiriusXM NFL Radio show alongside veteran announcer Bob Papa on Tuesday.

"I survived," Telesco wrote on social media. "Thanks to the legend Bob Papa for guiding the rookie."

Telesco worked his way up the NFL hierarchy as a Buffalo Bills intern from 1991 to 1994 before becoming a scouting assistant and area scout for the Carolina Panthers. He joined the Indianapolis Colts as a scout in 1998 and was promoted to scouting director in 2004.

Telesco spent the 2012 season as Indianapolis's vice president of football operations before becoming the youngest GM in Chargers history. The Colts drafted Edgerrin James, Reggie Wayne, and Dwight Freeney during his time with the organization, a period in which they were perennial contenders behind Peyton Manning.

The Chargers, on the other hand, made just three playoff appearances during Telesco's tenure and squandered a 27-7 lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2022 postseason.

Before he could complete his 11th season, the Chargers fired Telesco and head coach Brandon Staley after a 63-21 loss to the Raiders in Week 15 of the 2023 campaign. While they didn't sniff an AFC title under his watch, Telesco drafted franchise quarterback Justin Herbert in 2020.

A month after the Chargers dismissed him, the Raiders hired Telesco as their new GM. He selected Pro Bowl tight end Brock Bowers with his first pick, but Las Vegas fired him after a 4-13 season.

John Spytek replaces Telesco as the GM of a Raiders organization that hired head coach Pete Carroll and acquired quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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