Ranking the 32 General Managers — 12-9
12. Howie Roseman, Philadelphia Eagles
Howie Roseman is one sneaky guy, isn’t he? It always seems like he’ll occasionally make a killer deal, sign a great player or something in between.
When all seems lost, Roseman redeems himself. The Nick Sirianni hire seemed off, but all of the sudden, the Eagles go 9-8, clinch a playoff spot, and add AJ Brown, Haason Reddick, Jordan Davis, and Nakobe Dean to their team.
Roseman is a Super Bowl-winning GM, and the Eagles are poised to be more competitive in 2022.
11. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots
The Patriots have been good for forever…. mainly because of Tom Brady.
However, even with Brady’s departure, the Patriots are still set to be a playoff team in 2022.
They were hyperactive in free agency in 2021, signing players like Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Jalen Mills, and Matt Judon.
They also added Mac Jones, which appears to be the right pick. They didn’t have the best offseason this year, and their continual subpar drafting perhaps forced them to be active in last year’s free agency period.
Still, though, the Patriots are one of the most successful franchises in the history of sports, and Belichick is a huge reason for that.
10. Tom Telesco, Los Angeles Chargers
Telesco has served as the General Manager since 2013. The Chargers have developed this reputation of seemingly always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
He was able to inherit a nice situation with Philip Rivers, but his four losing records in nine seasons aren’t exactly impressive.
His teams are 69-76 since taking over, but the last two seasons have shown an improvement, mainly due to the drafting of Justin Herbert.
Telesco has also been ultra-active in other ways this year and last, trading for Khalil Mack, signing Bryce Callahan, drafting a stud in Rashawn Slater, and giving Mike Williams an extension.
Telesco was probably sitting on thin ice before drafting Herbert, but it appears now he’s got a firm base under him.
9. George Paton, Denver Broncos
At the risk of making my fandom obvious, I put George Paton at number nine on this list.
While only in his second year, Paton has left a clear mark on the Denver Broncos.
His first year was mostly positive, and while he would probably have not traded for Teddy Bridgewater if he could have a do-over, his draft was stellar.
Patrick Surtain II and Javonte Williams look like stars in the making, and Baron Browning and Quinn Meinerz both look like solid starters in the NFL.
Good General Managers are able to work within the draft and free agency, and this year was a bigger emphasis on free agency, trading for Russell Wilson, signing Billy Turner, Tom Compton, Randy Gregory, and D.J. Jones.
Denver is 7-10 under George Paton, but expect them to flip that record and add another win or two next year.