2021 NFL General Manager Search Tracker
This year’s NFL GM carousel figures to be more active than usual. The Falcons, Lions, Panthers, Texans, and Jaguars are all on the hunt for a new front office leader. And that’s only the official list. The real tally shows six clubs looking for a GM, since the Washington Football Team is expected to install a GM to work alongside head coach Ron Rivera. By mid-January, we could easily see a couple more jobs opening up — that’d put ~25% of the NFL on the market.
We’ll keep track of the GM candidates for each club here, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make general manager changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here’s the current breakdown:
Updated 1-19-21 (7:02pm CT)
Atlanta Falcons
- Morocco Brown, Colts college scouting director: Interviewed
- Terry Fontenot, Saints VP/assistant GM: Hired
- Brad Holmes, Rams director of college scouting: To receive second interview, finalist for position
- Anthony Robinson, Falcons director of college scouting: Interviewed
- Joe Schoen, Bills assistant GM: To be interviewed
- Rick Smith, former Texans general manager: Interviewed; finalist for position
Carolina Panthers
- Mike Borgonzi, Chiefs player personnel director: Rumored candidate
- Nick Caserio, Patriots VP of player personnel: Interviewed
- Ed Dodds, Colts assistant GM: Interviewed; name withdrawn from search
- Scott Fitterer, Seahawks VP of player personnel: Hired
- Champ Kelly, Bears assistant player personnel director: Interviewed
- Omar Khan, Steelers VP of football and business administration: Interviewed
- Jeff Ireland, Saints assistant GM: Interviewed
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Browns VP of football operations: Interviewed
- Monti Ossenfort, Titans player personnel director: To receive second interview
- George Paton, Vikings assistant GM: Rumored candidate; withdrew name from consideration
- Adam Peters, 49ers VP of player personnel: To receive second interview
- Ryan Poles, Chiefs assistant player personnel director: Received second interview
- Jerry Reese, former Giants general manager: Interviewed
- Joe Schoen, Bills assistant GM: Interviewed
- Pat Stewart, Panthers player personnel director: Interviewed
- Samir Suleiman, Panthers director of player negotiations: Interviewed
- Brandt Tilis, Chiefs football administration director: Interviewed
Denver Broncos
- Terry Fontenot, Saints vice president of pro personnel: To receive second interview
- Champ Kelly, Bears assistant director of player personnel: Interviewed
- George Paton, Vikings assistant GM: Hired
- Brian Stark, Broncos director of college scouting: To be interviewed
- Dave Ziegler, Patriots assistant player personnel director: To be interviewed; bowed out of search
Detroit Lions
- Kevin Colbert, Steelers general manager: Rumored candidate
- Thomas Dimitroff, former Falcons general manager: Interviewed
- Terry Fontenot, Saints assistant GM: Interviewed
- Brad Holmes, Rams director of college scouting: Hired
- Jeff Ireland, Saints assistant GM: Interviewed
- Rob Lohman, Lions director of pro scouting: Interviewed
- Lance Newmark, Lions director of player personnel: Interviewed
- Kyle O’Brien, Lions VP of player personnel: Interviewed
- George Paton, Vikings assistant GM: Interviewed
- Scott Pioli, former Chiefs GM/NFL Network analyst: Interviewed
- Louis Riddick, ESPN analyst/former Eagles exec: Interviewed
- John Schneider, Seahawks general manager: Rumored candidate; signed Seahawks extension
- Rick Smith, former Texans general manager: Interviewed
Houston Texans
- Matt Bazirgan, Texans player personnel director: Interviewed
- Malik Boyd, Bills pro scouting director: Interviewed
- Nick Caserio, Patriots VP of player personnel: Hired
- Scott Cohen, Ravens football research director: Interview requested
- Omar Khan, Steelers VP of football and business administration: Interviewed; received job offer
- Trent Kirchner, Seahawks VP of player personnel: Interviewed
- Ozzie Newsome, Ravens executive vice president: Preferred candidate
- Louis Riddick, ESPN analyst/former Eagles exec: Interviewed
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Trent Baalke, interim Jaguars GM: Expected to be hired
- Ray Farmer, former Browns general manager: To be interviewed
- Terry Fontenot, Saints assistant GM: Interview requested
- Jerry Reese, former Giants GM: Interviewed
- Louis Riddick, ESPN analyst/former Eagles exec: Interviewed
- Rick Smith, former Texans general manager: Interviewed
Washington Football Team
- Ryan Cowden, Titans VP of player personnel: Interview requested
- Marty Hurney, former Panthers general manager: Expected to be hired; joined team in non-GM role
- Martin Mayhew, former Lions general manager: Hired
- Nick Polk, Falcons football operations director: Interview requested
- Rick Smith, former Texans general manager: Mentioned as candidate
- JoJo Wooden, Chargers player personnel director: Interview expected
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/11/21
A long list of reserve/futures contracts to pass along:
Chicago Bears
- WR Rodney Adams, DB Marqui Christian, DB Xavier Crawford, OL Dieter Eiselen, TE Jesper Horsted, WR Thomas Ives, DT LaCale London, OLB Ledarius Mack, DB Teez Tabor, OL Badara Traore
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Darius Anderson, S Ibraheim Campbell, CB Andre Chachere, DT Kameron Cline, WR Quartney Davis, G Jake Eldrenkamp, TE Farrod Green, G Sam Jones, T Carter O’Donnell, RB Paul Perkins, P Austin Rehkow, CB Will Sunderland, CB Roderic Teamer, TE Andrew Vollert, DT Chris Williams, DT Rob Windsor
New York Giants
Seattle Seahawks
- OT Tommy Champion, QB Danny Etling, WR Aaron Fuller, WR Penny Hart, DB Gavin Heslop, DT Cedrick Lattimore, C Brad Lundblade, TE Tyler Mabry, QB Alex McGough, DB Jordan Miller, WR Cody Thompson
Tennessee Titans
- OT Paul Adams, WR Rashard Davis, TE Parker Hesse, WR Cody Hollister, TE Tommy Hudson, LB Jan Johnson, T Brandon Kemp, QB DeShone Kizer, K Tucker McCann, OL Daniel Munyer, OLB Nate Orchard, LS Matt Orzech, WR Chester Rogers, OLB Tuzar Skipper
Washington Football Team
- DT David Bada, WR Jeff Badet, DB Jordan Brown, WR Tony Brown, TE Dylan Cantrel, WR Trevor Davis, DE Jalen Jelks, DT Devaroe Lawrence, RB Javon Leake, T Rick Leonard, TE Tyrone Swoopes, K Kaare Vedvik, RB Jonathan Williams
2021 NFL Draft Order
Wild Card weekend is in the books and 75% of the NFL’s 2021 Draft order has been set. Here’s the rundown, thus far:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. Miami Dolphins (via Texans)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Philadelphia Eagles
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. San Francisco 49ers
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/9/21
Here are the latest NFL minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: P Sam Koch
- Promoted: QB Tyler Huntley, T R.J. Prince
- Placed on IR: OL Ben Bredeson
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Ja’Marcus Bradley, CB A.J. Green, T Alex Taylor
Green Bay Packers
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: WR Chris Blair, S Innis Gaines, LB Ray Wilborn
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: WR Deonte Harris, CB Patrick Robinson
- Placed on IR: OL Nick Easton
- Promoted: LB Chase Hansen, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
- Waived: WR Jake Kumerow
New York Giants
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: QB/WR Joe Webb
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: QB/TE Tyree Jackson, CB Kevon Seymour
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: G Matt Feiler, LB Robert Spillane
- Promoted: TE Kevin Rader
- Waived: LB Tegray Scales
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: DT Cedrick Lattimore
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Jonathan Bullard
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: OL Daniel Munyer, LB Brooks Reed
Giants Waive Devonta Freeman
The Giants have officially waived running back Devonta Freeman from injured reserve. The move is more of a formality than anything, since Freeman’s contract is set to expire. 
[RELATED: Giants Extend Patrick Graham]
Freeman inked a one-year deal with the G-Men in September, after Saquon Barkley was lost for the year. The one-time star would play in just five games before spending time on IR and the COVID-19 list. Freeman leaves New Jersey with 171 yards off of 54 carries, resulting in a 3.2 yards per carry average, plus one rushing touchdown. He didn’t do much in the passing game either, finishing with seven catches for 58 yards.
It was a far cry from Freeman’s best work with the Falcons. With Atlanta, Freeman managed two 1,000-yard seasons with 1,500+ scrimmage yards. Freeman won’t turn 29 until March, but his salad days are a distant memory at this point.
Freeman will be free to sign with any club in the spring, but teams won’t be lining up for him. If the Drew Rosenhaus client continues to play, he’ll likely put pen to paper sometime closer to the start of the season.
S Antoine Bethea Announces Retirement
Antoine Bethea partook in a November workout with the Ravens but did not end up playing this season. The veteran safety will not opt to circle back to the NFL in 2021, announcing his retirement instead (Twitter link).
Despite coming into the NFL as a sixth-round pick from a Division I-FCS program (Howard), Bethea proved to be immediately reliable and incredibly durable. He started 16 games in 10 of his 14 seasons and was a backup for just nine games in his career.
A Colts 2006 draftee, Bethea played much of his career with Indianapolis. But after eight Colts seasons, he became a three-year 49ers starter (2014-16), spent two years with the Cardinals (2017-18) and wrapped up his run as a 16-game Giants first-stringer at age 35. Bethea landed a Colts extension in 2010, signed a four-year, $24MM 49ers deal in 2014 and secured a three-year Cardinals contract in 2017.
Bethea finished with 25 career INTs and ventured to three Pro Bowls — two with the Colts and one with the 49ers — and started in 13 playoff games during his Indianapolis tenure. During his 200-start career, Bethea managed an impressive eight 100-plus-tackle seasons. He finished with 110 stops during his age-35 season with the Giants. Bethea also notched four postseason interceptions, including two as a rookie during the Colts’ Super Bowl XLI championship campaign.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/6/21
We’ll keep track of the latest reserve/futures deals here:
Arizona Cardinals
- TE Ian Bunting, G Deion Calhoun, DT Michael Dogbe, WR Rico Gafford, G Sean Harlow, WR Krishawn Hogan, K Brett Maher, G Koda Martin, S Chris Miller, DE Shareef Miller, RB Khalfani Muhammad, CB Picasso Nelson, DT David Parry, WR A.J. Richardson, LB Terrance Smith, LB Reggie Walker, WR JoJo Ward, LB Evan Weaver, WR Isaac Whitney, CB Jace Whittaker
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
- CB Nick Nelson, TE Jordan Thomas
Las Vegas Raiders
- TE Nick Bowers, K Dominik Eberle, DB Rashaan Gaulden, DE Gerri Green, OL Jaryd Jones-Smith, OL Erik Magnuson, LS Liam McCullough, LB James Onwualu, DT Niles Scott, OT Kamaal Seymour, CB Kemah Siverand, LB Javin White
Miami Dolphins
- DE Nick Coe, S Brian Cole, CB Javaris Davis, CB Tino Ellis, C Tyler Gauthier, LB Kylan Johnson, WR Kirk Merritt, TE Chris Myarick, OG Durval Queiroz Neto, DE Tyshun Render, QB Reid Sinnett, LS Rex Sunahara
New England Patriots
New York Giants
- RB Jordan Chunn
San Francisco 49ers
- TE Chase Harrell, DB Jared Mayden
Giants, Patrick Graham Agree On Extension
Patrick Graham will be staying with the Giants. Emerging early as a head coaching prospect, Graham has signed an extension to stay on as the Giants’ defensive coordinator, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets.
The Jets requested an interview with Graham, but despite the veteran assistant joining the Giants less than a year ago, he has a new contract and is signed on to lead Big Blue’s defense for at least one more season.
The Giants took a step back on offense this season, dropping from 18th to 31st in points scored. However, they were still — thanks entirely to their historically bad division — in the playoff race until the end because of the defensive improvements they made under Graham.
Arriving after a year as Miami’s DC, Graham oversaw a Big Blue defense lacking on the edge — especially after the midseason Markus Golden trade. The Giants also cut 2019 first-round pick DeAndre Baker before the start of the season, leaving James Bradberry as the team’s only cornerback of note. At season’s end, the Giants ranked ninth in points allowed — a massive jump from allowing the third-most points in 2019. This understandably made Graham a name to watch on the HC carousel.
While the 41-year-old DC figures to be back in HC rumor cycles ahead of the 2022 hiring period, he will be back to build on his work with the Giants this year.
Giants To Keep Dave Gettleman
The Giants will be making plenty of changes this offseason, but they’re standing pat with their GM. Dave Gettleman will return in 2021, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. 
Gettleman, 70 in February, is heading into his fourth year as the Giants’ GM. The team’s 6-10 record might have fallen short of summertime hopes, but they nearly qualified for the playoffs thanks to the state of the NFC East. Their record also showed at least some progress from 2019, when they finished 4-12.
The Giants were more encouraged by Gettleman’s wins in the spring. Cornerback James Bradberry, linebacker Blake Martinez, and defensive back Logan Ryan all proved to be savvy pickups. Meanwhile, the veteran GM was vindicated for his expensive gamble on defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who finished 2020 with a career-best 11.5 sacks.
Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge will now be tasked with evaluating the rest of the locker room and coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Jason Garrett‘s status remains murky after Daniel Jones‘ disappointing season, though things probably would have been better with Saquon Barkley in the lineup. Meanwhile, they’ll have some in-house accounting to do — this year’s free agent class features Williams and Barkley is eligible for an extension.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/5/21
We’ll keep track of the latest reserve/futures deals here:
Carolina Panthers
- LB Daniel Bituli, WR Ventell Bryant, DB Sean Chandler, WR Amara Darboh, G Mike Horton, WR Ishmael Hyman, LB Clay Johnston, WR Marken Michel, G Aaron Monteiro, LB Chris Orr, DT Mike Panasiuk, TE Giovanni Ricci, C Sam Tecklenburg
Dallas Cowboys
- OT Isaac Alarcon, WR Aaron Parker, WR Jon’Vea Johnson, C Adam Redmond, C Marcus Henry, TE Cole Hikutini, WR Chris Lacy, DT Walter Palmore, CB Kemon Hall, LB Ladarius Hamilton, QB Cooper Rush
Denver Broncos
- OT Quinn Bailey, WR Trinity Benson, WR Fred Brown, S Chris Cooper, RB Damarea Crockett, FB Jeremy Cox, WR/QB Kendall Hinton, TE Jordan Leggett, OT Darrin Paulo, DT Deyon Sizer
Houston Texans
- OL Cohl Cabral, LB Curtis Bolton, LS Anthony Kukwa, CB Brandon Williams, WR J’Mon Moore, OL Beau Benzschawel
Minnesota Vikings
- CB Tae Hayes, OL Zack Bailey, TE Brandon Dillon, OL Blake Brandel, FB Jake Bargas, S Luther Kirk, CB Cordrea Tankersley, QB Jake Browning, QB Nate Stanley
New England Patriots
- K Roberto Aguayo, QB Jake Dolegala, DT Bill Murray, G Ross Reynolds, K Justin Rohrwasser, CB D’Angelo Ross, WR Devin Smith, DT Nick Thurman, WR Kristian Wilkerson, WR Isaiah Zuber
New York Giants
- QB Alex Tanney, CB Quincy Wilson, WR Alex Bachman, LB Trent Harris, DB Montre Hartage, DB Jarren Williams, LS Carson Tinker, G Kenny Wiggins, TE Rysen John, RB Taquan Mizzell, DT David Moa, G Chad Slade, QB Clayton Thorson
New York Jets
- TE Connor Davis, LB Noah Dawkins, K Sam Ficken, RB Pete Guerriero, DB Zane Lewis, WR Josh Malone, WR D.J. Montgomery, WR Jaleel Scott, QB Mike White
Philadelphia Eagles
- Deontay Burnett, WR Hakeem Butler, WR Blake Countess, DT Treyvon Hester, CB Lavert Hill, RB Elijah Holyfield, CB Jameson Houston, DE Matt Leo, DE Joe Ostman
San Francisco 49ers
- CB Adonis Alexander, DL Josiah Coatney, S Chris Edwards, LB Jonas Griffith, DL Daeshon Hall, CB Tim Harris Jr., FB Josh Hokit, WR Jauan Jennings, DB Obi Melifonwu, WR Austin Proehl, OL Dakoda Shepley, WR Kevin White, OL Isaiah Williams