As expected, JoJo Wooden got an opportunity to interview for the Chargers GM gig. The team announced that they’ve interviewed their interim GM for the full-time job.
[RELATED: 2024 NFL General Manager Search Tracker]
After Tom Telesco was fired in December, Wooden took over as general manager for the rest of the season. The executive spent the previous decade as the Chargers Director of Player Personnel, with Wooden overseeing the college and pro scouting departments. Prior to his stint with the Chargers, Wooden spent 16 years with the Jets, working his way up from a personnel assistant to assistant director of player personnel.
While Wooden has yet to add the full-time general manager title to his resume, this isn’t the first time he’s generated interest for the role. Wooden previously interviewed for GM openings with the Steelers, Commanders, and Bears.
Wooden is the eighth candidate for the open Chargers GM gig, with the executive joining the following executives:
- Brandon Brown, assistant general manager (Giants): Interviewed 1/11
- Ian Cunningham, assistant general manager (Bears): Interview requested
- Terrance Gray, vice president of player personnel (Bills): Interview requested
- Jeff Ireland, assistant general manager (Saints): To interview
- Jeff King, co-director of player personnel (Bears): To interview
- Will McClay, vice president of player personnel (Cowboys): Interview requested
- Adam Peters, assistant general manager (49ers): Interview requested
A few teams have blocked assistants from interviewing contracted staffers this week. The Chargers are now one of them. Despite firing head coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco, the Bolts are not giving all their assistants permission to explore opportunities.
The Giants sought an interview with Bolts special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken, but NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo notes the AFC West team prevented that meeting from taking place. The Giants fired longtime ST coordinator Thomas McGaughey earlier this week.
Ficken worked as the Chargers’ ST coordinator for the past two seasons. With this block taking place, he would be under contract — and likely in consideration to stay in Los Angeles under the next HC. Ficken, 43, has been an NFL staffer since 2007. Not a special teams lifer, Ficken spent 15 years with the Vikings coaching several positions. Though, he has concentrated on special teams for the past 11 years.
Additionally, the Giants have hired their next offensive line coach. Former Raiders O-line coach Carmen Bricillo will take over. The Giants moved fast to replace Bobby Johnson, whose unit allowed a staggering number of sacks this season. Collectively, Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito (along with wideout Parris Campbell) took 85 sacks. Only the 1986 Eagles (104) have allowed more in a season.
Bricillo most recently followed Josh McDaniels to Las Vegas. While the 47-year-old assistant coached on the Patriots’ staff, he did not overlap with Brian Daboll. Bricillo coached on Bill Belichick‘s staff from 2019-21, working as the team’s O-line coach over the final two seasons. Prior to Bricillo’s New England stay, he spent over a decade in the college ranks, much of it at Division I-FCS Youngstown State.
While the Raiders fired McDaniels and Dave Ziegler this season, an O-line that featured unremarkable pieces powered Josh Jacobs to a rushing title in 2022. With the Raiders moving on from their brief Patriot Way experiment, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes Bricillo was unlikely to return.
Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Atlanta Falcons
- FB Robert Burns, S Tre Tarpley
Chicago Bears
- S Douglas Coleman, LS Cameron Lyons
Kansas City Chiefs
- QB Ian Book, WR Jacob Copeland, RB Hassan Hall, OLB Jordan Smith
Los Angeles Chargers
New York Giants
- LB Tomon Fox
After a year out of football, Leslie Frazier said recently he is ready to return. The former Vikings HC and Bills DC is back on the radar, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting the Chargers will interview him for their top coaching job.
Frazier served as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator from 2017-22, being the team’s primary play-caller during this span. But Sean McDermott went in another direction last year, opting to call plays himself for a team that had endured a one-sided home loss to the Bengals to close out the 2022 season. Nevertheless, Frazier — no longer under contract with the Bills, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler — is back in the mix.
Prior to his 2023 hiatus, Frazier had worked as an NFL assistant or HC for 24 straight years. The Bills initially framed his departure as the veteran stepping away, with the possibility of a return, but it was later believed McDermott made the call to move on from his six-year defensive lieutenant. Frazier is now eager to head elsewhere and vie for a head coaching job.
“I want to be able to be a part of this hiring cycle. I would love to be able to interview with an owner or organization for one of the head coach vacancies,” Frazier said, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. “And I’m basing it on my past experience as a head coach who took a team to the playoffs, the success I’ve had in the NFL as a coordinator. And hope that would warrant me that opportunity.”
The Bills ranked in the top four in scoring defense three times from 2019-22, doing so with key personnel injured. Tre’Davious White went down on Thanksgiving 2021, and Von Miller suffered what appears to be a career-altering ACL tear on Thanksgiving 2022. The Bills played most of last season without Micah Hyde as well. That said, Buffalo suffered a crushing loss in Kansas City in the 2021 divisional round. The team’s defense crumbled late in a shootout, losing on the first possession of overtime. The team then could not match the Bengals in a 27-10 divisional-round defeat the following year. McDermott removed Frazier from the equation soon after.
Frazier has been an HC carousel regular, interviewing for the Bears, Dolphins and Giants’ jobs in 2022. The Texans interviewed Frazier in 2021, and the Colts met with him in 2018. Promoted from interim Vikings HC to their full-time leader in 2011, Frazier went 21-32-1 as Minnesota’s HC. Much of that time came when first-round bust Christian Ponder quarterbacked the Vikings. Minnesota’s 2012 team, spurred by MVP Adrian Peterson, still ventured to the playoffs.
It would not surprise to see Frazier also end up back on the DC radar, given his experience. Frazier’s age also places him as the oldest candidate on the Bolts’ interview list, though Bill Belichick (71) and Jim Harbaugh (60) are on the radar. Bruce Arians, at 66, is the oldest NFL HC ever hired.
Here are the reserve/futures deals handed out Tuesday:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Daniel Arias, CB Darren Hall, S Verone McKinley, OL Austen Pleasants
Atlanta Falcons
- WR Chris Blair, DB Natrone Brooks, S Lukas Denis, LB Milo Eifler, DE Demone Harris, T John Leglue, WR Austin Mack, LB Donavan Mutin, DT Willington Previlon, G Justin Shaffer, T Ryan Swoboda, T Tyler Vrabel, RB Carlos Washington, T Barry Wesley
Chicago Bears
Indianapolis Colts
- S Kendell Brooks, G Lewis Kidd, S Michael Tutsie
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
- LB Brevin Allen, DT Jerrod Clark, RB Elijah Dotson, QB Max Duggan, WR Simi Fehoko, DB Matt Hankins, OL Brent Laing, LB C.J. Okoye, CB Chris Wilcox
Minnesota Vikings
- RB Myles Gaskin
New York Jets
- FB Nick Bawden, DT Tanzel Smart
8:09pm: The Chargers also put in a request to interview another Bears exec. Co-director of player personnel Jeff King will meet with the Bolts, ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry tweets.
The former Panthers and Cardinals tight end has been with the Bears since 2015, being with the team throughout the Ryan Pace regime. Poles moved King, 40, to his current post in 2022. This will be King’s first GM interview; he met with the Panthers about their assistant GM job in 2021.
5:58pm: Add Ian Cunningham to this list. The Bears’ assistant GM also received an interview request from the Chargers, Rapoport tweets. Cunningham joined Brown as an Eagles staffer who became an assistant GM in 2022, becoming Ryan Poles‘ right-hand man. Set to to have an important say in Chicago’s decision on Justin Fields, Cunningham also turned down the Arizona GM job last year.
2:43pm: The Chargers will make a belated push out of the starting blocks on their general manager search. Seeking to fill the role Tom Telesco held for 11 years, the AFC West team has sent out five GM interview requests thus far.
Former Dolphins GM-turned-Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland is among them, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Also included here is Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay, according to the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins. 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters, Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and Bills VP of player personnel Terrance Gray also received Bolts interview requests, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.
This marks Ireland’s first entrance onto this year’s GM carousel. An Ireland-Sean Payton reunion has been rumored, but after rumblings of embattled Broncos GM George Paton being on the chopping block, it is looking like the Payton-Paton setup will remain in place. This would hinder an Ireland Denver move. Ireland worked with Payton for seven years in New Orleans, helping revive the franchise after a mid-2010s lull.
Given considerable credit for a Saints impact 2017 draft class that included Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk and Trey Hendrickson, Ireland has been the Saints’ college scouting director since his arrival in 2015. Ireland, 53, is still better known for his Dolphins years. He spent six years as Miami’s GM, but after the team (during Matt Cassel‘s QB1 year in New England) won the 2008 AFC East title, no more playoff appearances commenced. Still, Ireland brings more experience to the table than most on this year’s GM market. He has also interviewed for a few jobs — the Panthers, Lions and Bears — from 2021-22.
Although Jerry and Stephen Jones still make the final calls, McClay has been indispensable for the Cowboys over the past several years. Dallas has continually hit on first-round picks, with fourth-rounder Dak Prescott quickly becoming the franchise’s centerpiece player. McClay, 57, has been with the Cowboys since 2003 and has not been a regular during GM hiring periods. His most recent connection to a GM job came when he turned down a Texans interview request in 2018; it will be interesting to see if McClay agrees to the Chargers meeting.
Peters has received requests from the Commanders and Raiders. It would not be surprising to see every team request a meeting with the 49ers’ assistant GM, given the success the team has achieved during the Kyle Shanahan–John Lynch years. Gray is on the Raiders’ list as well, with Brown — following his second year as the Giants’ assistant GM — on the Panthers’ radar.
JANUARY 9: Callahan will have a chance to meet with the Chargers as well. The Bolts requested an HC interview with the five-year Bengals OC, per Pelissero. Unlike the Panthers last year, the Chargers have not made their priorities clear in terms of coaching expertise. Callahan joins Ben Johnson, Todd Monken and OC Kellen Moore as offense-oriented coaches on the Bolts’ request list. Though, the team is interested in Jim Harbaugh. Moore interviewed for the job on Tuesday.
JANUARY 8: After firing Scott Fitterer earlier today, the Panthers have already started requesting general manager interviews. Apparently the organization isn’t wasting any time with their other major vacancy. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Panthers have requested an interview with Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan for their head coaching opening.
[RELATED: Panthers Request GM Interviews]
After being hired by the Bengals in 2019, Callahan’s offense would have a pair of underwhelming seasons before Joe Burrow took off in 2021. The Bengals offense ranked seventh in points in both 2021 and 2022, with the passing offense ranking top-10 in most categories between those two campaigns.
That performance earned him head coaching interviews in each of the past two offseasons. He was interviewed for the Broncos job in both 2022 and 2023, and he also earned interviews last offseason with the Cardinals and Colts. He got to the second round of interviews in Indy, an indication that he was on the brink of getting a HC gig.
The Bengals offense took a step back in 2023, although that was partly due to Burrow’s injury issues. That apparently hasn’t stopped the coordinator from generating head coaching interest, and he’s the first official candidate to replace Frank Reich (and interim fill-in Chris Tabor) in Carolina. While Callahan is the first definitive candidate, that hasn’t stopped pundits from speculating about other potential fits. We heard yesterday that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick could be an option in Carolina if he’s let go in New England.
One coordinator who won’t get a look in Carolina is Steve Wilks, who guided the Panthers to a 6-6 record while filling in for the fired Matt Rhule in 2022. Wilks was a main candidate to take on the full-time gig in Carolina, but owner David Tepper ultimately opted for Reich. Wilks went on to become defensive coordinator in San Francisco, and he helped guide the 49ers defense to a number of top-10 marks this season.
Despite his continued success, Wilks won’t be considered for the job in Carolina. Per ESPN’s David Newton, Tepper “won’t put aside his pride and admit he made a mistake” during last year’s coaching carousel.
2:51pm: The Chargers also announced interim HC Giff Smith received an interview. Interim coaches often receive a chance to keep the job, but no interim tag has been removed since the Jaguars made Doug Marrone their full-time HC in 2017. Smith has been with the Chargers since 2016, mostly as defensive line coach, but is probably not a serious candidate to land the full-time HC gig.
2:09pm: Kellen Moore‘s move from Dallas to Los Angeles did not result in a Chargers uptick on offense, though the young offensive coordinator was not exactly dealt a great hand. Even after a wildly disappointing Bolts season that ended with the firings of Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco, the team is not done with Moore yet.
The Bolts are planning to interview Moore for their vacant HC job, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. This comes shortly after a report indicated Moore, 34, was unlikely to be under consideration for the HC position. But Chargers ownership will give the four-year Cowboys play-caller a chance.
Los Angeles dropped from 13th to 21st in scoring offense from 2022-23, but Justin Herbert‘s injury played a significant role in that. However, Herbert had not consistently shown his superstar-caliber talent under Moore for most of the season. The Chargers played most of the year without Mike Williams and All-Pro center Corey Linsley. Keenan Allen missed the team’s final games, while Austin Ekeler and Josh Palmer missed chunks of the season as well. Injuries are nothing new for the Bolts, and they had not previously ranked outside the top 20 in scoring offense since 2016.
The Chargers fired Joe Lombardi after two seasons, one of them a campaign (2021) in which Herbert was voted the AFC’s Pro Bowl starting QB. Dak Prescott also put together his best season after Moore’s Dallas exit, but the longtime Cowboys passer was productive in 2021 under Moore as well. Prescott’s return from injury that season produced a handful of HC interviews for the former NFL backup QB. Moore did not land any, but the Chargers hired him less than 24 hours after the Cowboys split.
Cooper Rush also kept the car on the road for the Cowboys during a Prescott injury hiatus in 2022, and the Cowboys respectively ranked first and fourth in scoring in 2021 and ’22. Despite an 8-8 season that led to Jason Garrett’s firing, Moore — elevated to the team’s play-caller at just 30 — guided Dallas to a sixth-place offensive finish in 2019. That prompted ownership to insist Mike McCarthy keep Moore. That partnership eventually fizzled, but Moore should still be in the mix for OC jobs — in the likely event he does not land the Chargers’ HC position.
Courtesy of PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Chargers look on the HC carousel so far:
- Bill Belichick, head coach (Patriots): Rumored candidate
- Aaron Glenn, defensive coordinator (Lions): Interview requested
- Patrick Graham, defensive coordinator (Raiders): Interview requested
- Jim Harbaugh, head coach (Michigan): Mutual interest
- Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (Lions): Interview requested; mutual interest?
- Todd Monken, offensive coordinator (Ravens): Interview requested
- Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator (Chargers): To interview
- Raheem Morris, defensive coordinator (Rams): Interview requested
- Dan Quinn, defensive coordinator (Cowboys): Interview requested
- Giff Smith, interim head coach (Chargers): Interviewed 1/9
- Steve Wilks, defensive coordinator (49ers): Interview requested
To no surprise, Dan Quinn has already received a number of interview requests for head coach openings around the league. Given his decision in recent years to remain in his position as Cowboys defensive coordinator, however, the degree to which he reciprocates interest from outside teams will be a key storyline. 
Quinn plans to meet with each of the three teams which have submitted an interview request to date, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports. The Commanders, Panthers and Chargers are all interested in the 53-year-old, who has been in Dallas for the past three years in his current role. A return to a head coaching role has been touted on a number of occasions in the past, though.
Last offseason, the Cardinals interviewed Quinn twice; the Colts also had a second meeting lined up before he decided to bow out of the running for HC consideration. That move allowed him to once again guide one of the NFL’s top defenses, and the Cowboys have delivered on his side of the ball this season. Dallas finished the 2023 campaign ranked fifth in both points and yards allowed.
The team took a step back in terms of takeaways (finishing 12th in that department after the leading the league each of the past two seasons), although second-year corner DaRon Bland topped the NFL with nine interceptions and a record five pick-sixes. Having further confirmed his reputation as one of the top defensive minds in the game, Quinn will be a signficant add for any interested team should he elect to depart the Cowboys.
A recent report suggested the former Falcons HC is likelier to take a outside job in 2024 than he has been in previous years. For that reason, it comes as no surprise that he will at least take a first interview with Washington, Carolina and Los Angeles. Breer adds Quinn’s sit-downs will likely take place late next week.
Per the updated rules regarding head coaching interviews, virtual meetings with teams playing in the wild-card round cannot take place until at least January 16. Follow-up interviews in person are prohibited until after the divisional round has come to a close. Quinn’s schedule will thus depend on the level of success the Cowboys have in the coming weeks, but for now he intends to at least explore his non-Dallas options.