Chad Alexander

Chargers To Hire Jets’ Chad Alexander As Assistant GM

The Chargers will turn to two longtime Ravens staffers to lead their next front office. New GM Joe Hortiz will hire a familiar name to be his top lieutenant alongside Jim Harbaugh.

Hortiz and Harbaugh are bringing Jets director of player personnel Chad Alexander to Los Angeles, SNY’s Connor Hughes tweets. While Alexander will make the trek from New York to Los Angeles, he and Hortiz worked together in Baltimore for nearly 20 years. The Bolts hired Hortiz as GM late last month.

[RELATED: Chargers Name Greg Roman As Offensive Coordinator]

Alexander joined ex-Ravens exec Joe Douglas with the Jets in 2019, when Douglas took over as GM. Prior to the New York trek, Alexander had ascended to the post of assistant director of pro personnel in Baltimore. Coming up from the scouting ranks, Alexander spent his final nine seasons with the Ravens holding that title. He collected two Super Bowl rings for his efforts, joining Hortiz as being with the club during its Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XLVII seasons.

The Jets have now lost Alexander and assistant GM Rex Hogan. They mutually parted ways with the latter last month. Hogan, who also held a Jets role under Mike Maccagnan, returned to the Jets as assistant GM once Douglas took over. Alexander and Hogan served as Douglas’ top two advisors, Brian Costello of the New York Post adds. As Douglas prepares for a make-or-break year in New York, he will need some new lieutenants.

Harbaugh’s fractured relationship with ex-49ers GM Trent Baalke played a central role in the former’s San Francisco tenure ending after four seasons. The 49ers had Baalke on staff before hiring Harbaugh. With the Chargers set to give the decorated (and highly paid) HC personnel control, they have long been expected to work with their new coach in assembling the front office. They will have two ex-John Harbaugh coworkers running point on that end.

Additionally, the Chargers announced Corey Krawiec will be named director of player personnel strategy. The team hired Krawiec recently, and the fellow ex-Ravens exec will pair with former coworkers Hortiz and Alexanders.

Jets To Hire Ravens Exec Chad Alexander

Joe Douglas‘ Jets staff has begun to take shape. Barely two hours after reporting Phil Savage was Big Apple-bound, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Ravens executive Chad Alexander will join him on Douglas’ staff.

The Ravens in May named Alexander their assistant director of pro and college personnel. A respected scout, Alexander will serve as Jets director of player personnel, Rapoport notes, representing a significant promotion for the longtime Ravens staffer. Alexander worked with the Ravens for 20 years.

Alexander’s Ravens tenure overlapped with Douglas’, which ran for 15 years to start the 21st century. The two will reunite with the Jets. It is unclear what role Savage will play in New York, but he also has ties to Douglas. Savage’s tenure as Ravens director of college scouting and director of player personnel in the early 2000s came when Douglas and Alexander were on staff.

Both Savage and Alexander were on the radar prior to these moves, joining NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN.com’s Todd McShay. While both the well-known TV draft analysts opted to remain in their visible positions, the two former AFC North execs will make the move east in an attempt to help Douglas rebuild the Jets. Bears exec Champ Kelly, who interviewed for the Jets’ GM post, may still be on the radar as well.

Reactions, Notes On Joe Douglas Hiring

Yesterday, the Jets succeeded in hiring their top GM target, as the organization inked Joe Douglas to a six-year contract. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that their new GM will earn $3MM per year. This is a significant increase over the team’s initial $1.5MM offer, but Douglas’ refusal to immediately accept the gig forced the Jets to up the ante.

The $3MM salary isn’t outrageous for a first-time general manager, as top executives usually take in around $4MM annually. On the flip side, it isn’t chump change, and the modest monetary investment implies that Jets ownership is willing to give their new GM a relatively long leash.

Let’s check out some more notes out of New York…

  • We heard yesterday that Douglas had turned down multiple Jets overtures, but the organization continued to be aggressive. According to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, the negotiations took several days, and there was some pessimism that Douglas would end up returning to the Eagles. Ultimately, the Jets were apparently willing to meet their new GM’s monetary demands.
  • However, it sounds like money wasn’t the only factor that gave Douglas some pause. Mehta reports that the executive also had some concerns about Jets ownership and “control/reporting elements of the job.” Ultimately, Douglas was enticed by the presence of Sam Darnold, an up-and-coming roster, and enough money to add talented front-office executives. Mehta notes that the signing also “completed a hat trick” for agent Jimmy Sexton. The agent represents Douglas, Darnold, and head coach Adam Gase.
  • Speaking of front office candidates, Jason La Canfora points to former Browns general manager Phil Savage and Ravens exec Chad Alexander as executives who could join Douglas’s staff. NFL.com’s Gil Brandt tweets that Douglas wanted NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah to join him in New York, but that won’t end up happening.
  • ESPN’s Rich Cimini believes this is “a very good hire” by the team, but the writer also questions whether the executive is “ready for the Jets.” Cimini points to the organization’s lack of stability, inexperienced ownerships (with CEO Christopher Johnson is charge), and “backroom politics.” However, the most important factor will be the relationship between Douglas and Gase; if the GM and head coach clash, Cimini believes the Jets will have “no chance” at succeeding.

Staff Notes: Newsome, Panthers, Lions

Despite ceding his post as Ravens GM to longtime lieutenant Eric DeCosta, Ozzie Newsome remains a central presence in Baltimore’s front office. He played a key role in the Ravens adding Earl Thomas, despite not having an official title. He does now. Amid a staff shakeup, the Ravens revealed (via Pennlive.com) Newsome will serve as their executive vice president. The Hall of Fame tight end and Super Bowl-winning executive will continue to advise DeCosta. This should help a Ravens team in a bit of a transition, considering Terrell Suggs, Joe Flacco and C.J. Mosley are no longer with the franchise. Newsome, 63, sticking around will provide vital continuity.

Here is the latest on some front office situations around the league, staying first with more from the Ravens’ new-look staff:

  • The Ravens will now have co-directors of player personnel, moving former college scouting director Joe Horwitz and previous senior personnel assistant George Kokinis into the position. The Ravens brought in Kokinis in 2010, following a short stay as the Browns’ general manager. The Ravens promoted Mark Azevedo from his northeast area scout post to player personnel coordinator and made Chad Alexander their assistant director of pro and college personnel. Vincent Newsome will move from director of pro personnel into a senior player personnel executive position, and Nick Matteo will now oversee the Ravens’ salary cap. Matteo spent 10 years as an NFL management council exec.
  • While their staff changes were not as sweeping as the Ravens’, the Panthers have some key figures in new positions. A 22nd-year Panthers exec, Jeff Morrow will take over as Carolina’s player personnel director after heading the franchise’s college scouting department. Fourth-year Panthers staffer Eric Stokes will move into Morrow’s former role. Former Panthers wide receiver Mark Carrier, a ninth-year member of the team’s front office, will become executive director of the Panthers’ football staff.
  • Lastly, the Lions reshuffled a few roles. Dave Sears will rise from Detroit’s assistant director of college scouting to leading that department. Rob Lohman will make the same move on the pro side. Both Sears and Lohman have been with the Lions for 13 years.