Former Wildcat Champ Kelly Named Raiders Interim General Manager

One man’s shortcomings are another’s gain. Mark Davis made a surprising change in leadership last night and it paved the way for Champ Kelly to become the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Davis, the butt of many jokes from around the NFL, made a masterclass move in ownership malpractice when he hired Josh McDaniels. Interim coach Rich Bisaccia cleaned up the mess left by Jon Gruden and Henry Ruggs, and found a way to get the Raiders into the playoffs. Instead of removing the interim tag, Mark Davis hired the biggest doofus in the NFL.

As was the case during his first head coaching stint in Denver, Josh McDaniels was a disaster in Vegas. The long-time offensive play-caller for Bill Belichick went 9-16 and started the 2023 campaign 3-5. Monday night’s performance against the Lions was embarrassing. Vegas got outgained by 329 yards and lost the time of possession battle 40-20. It was even uglier to watch than the final box score.

Late Tuesday night Davis smashed the reset button, firing McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. The two have been replaced by Antonio Pierce and Champ Kelly, respectively.

Champ Kelly played at the University of Kentucky from 1999-01. In his final season he caught 10 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. He worked his way up the ladder, beginning his NFL career as a college scout, the lowest-ranking front office position in the league. Over eight years with the Denver Broncos, Kelly climbed all the way up to assistant director of player personnel and oversaw a franchise that went to Super Bowl XLVIII.

Prior to becoming the assistant general manager of the Raiders, Kelly held multiple positions over a seven-year stint with the Chicago Bears. Under Kelly’s eye players have earned a combined 58 Pro Bowl nominations and six Hall of Fame enshrinements.

In the Raiders’ release, the organization said it is “committed to undergo a comprehensive search for a general manager once the season is complete.”

This move is only temporary. However, Kelly has been a candidate for multiple general manager vacancies in recent years. Adding this to his resume will only bolster his chances of finding a landing place at a prestigious position outside of the train wreck Mark Davis oversees in Las Vegas.

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