The San Diego Chargers, just 10 days after firing longtime GM A.J. Smith, have found his replacement.
The team announced Wednesday that it has hired Tom Telesco to fill the position. Telesco, 40, was the vice president for football operations for the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. Prior to that, he served as the team's director of player personnel for six seasons. He spend 15 years with the organization, and helped transform a roster that finished 2-14 a year ago, and made them a playoff team.
The Colts lost to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday in the AFC Wild Card game.
In hiring Telesco, the Chargers chose not to hire an internal candidate, Jimmy Raye. Raye, the teams director of player personnel, has been with the organization for 17 years. He started as a scout in 1996 and rose up the ranks of the organization. He was thought by many as one of the frontrunners to take over for Smith.
Telesco had a similar career path as Raye with Indianapolis. A graduate of John Carrol University, Telesco began his career with the Colts in 1998 as a scout, before being promoted to director of player personnel.
His first duty will be to hire a new head coach. Norv Turner and Smith were let go on Dec. 31, following a 7-9 season for the Chargers that was marked by a significant drop in attendance.
