NFL News: Raiders GM Tom Telesco Fired; Was Reportedly Set to Return amid Pierce Exit

The Las Vegas Raiders are firing general manager Tom Telesco after all.

Las Vegas announced the news Thursday while expressing its appreciation for Telesco's "efforts in helping build a foundation for the future."

The Raiders also fired head coach Antonio Pierce on Tuesday. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Tuesday that they planned to keep Telesco in the wake of Pierce's firing.

While Telesco's dismissal appears to be a change in direction for the Raiders, it does allow them to bring in a new head coach and general manager during the same offseason.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported Telesco was fired "mostly because ownership seems to prefer having the general manager and head coach more connected—like a cohesive partnership—rather than something that feels more arranged or forced."

She also noted that minority owner Tom Brady "has lots of influence in Las Vegas."

Vic Tafur of The Athletic provided more context to the situation with Brady:

The Raiders have certainly been a team to watch at the start of this coaching cycle, as they had Pierce do an end-of-season press conference Monday and then fired him Tuesday. Now they seemingly changed course on the general manager position.

"It was a situation so awkward inside the team's headquarters that, according to sources who spoke with Yahoo Sports, Pierce had already started discussing potential coaching staff changes hours before he learned he was losing his job," Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports wrote Thursday.

Telesco didn't exactly have a lot of time to turn things around for the Raiders.

Las Vegas hired him ahead of the 2024 season after he was the general manager of the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers for 11 seasons from 2013-23. Los Angeles made the playoffs three times during his tenure, although it never advanced past the divisional round.

The 2024 season was one to forget for the Raiders, as they finished 4-13 and cycled through Gardner Minshew II, Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder at quarterback. They also traded star wide receiver Davante Adams to the New York Jets and appear well behind the other three playoff-bound teams in their division.

Yet there is an opportunity for the next general manager and coach to turn things around in the near future.

Las Vegas has the No. 6 overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft and the second-most cap space in the league heading into the offseason, according to Spotrac, trailing only the New England Patriots.

The Raiders' new coach and general manager will now have the chance to work together on the same timeline.