Tom Telesco fired: 5 NFL GM candidates for Chargers GM position

The Chargers cleaned house the day after losing on TNF by a score of 63-21 to the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. This included longtime general manager Tom Telesco, who had been with the team since 2013. Los Angeles (5-9) will finish with a losing record for the third time in five seasons.

Owner Dean Spanos will be on the search to fill that position. There are plenty of viable and qualified candidates. Below are five that are worth consideration for the Chargers.

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5 NFL GM candidates for Chargers GM position

Glenn Cook - Assistant General Manager, Cleveland Browns

A top priority for Spanos when looking for a new general manager is finding someone with a background in scouting. Glenn Cook has been with the Browns franchise since 2016 and is currently the vice president of Player Personnel as well. He was previously Cleveland's assistant director of scouting from 2016 to 2019.

Cook was part of the Browns staff that took defensive end Myles Garrett with the top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has been interviewed in the past for GM openings and is a rising star. Cook played a major role in building up the Browns' defense and could build a similar roster for the Chargers.

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Adam Peters - Assistant General Manager, San Francisco 49ers

Peters has over two decades of NFL experience and is currently under John Lynch as 49ers assistant general manager. From 2009 to 2016, he was the Broncos' director of college scouting and a Pro Scout/Area Scout for the New England Patriots.

The 49ers' roster is viewed as one of the best in the NFL, something Spanos should consider. Like Cook, teams have interviewed Peters for GM role but ultimately passed. He has learned under Lynch how to build a roster via the draft and trades, something the Chargers could use.

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JoJo Wooden - Director of Player Personnel, Los Angeles Chargers

Wooden adds familiarity to the GM search as he has been with the Chargers for over a decade. He has served as an assistant director of pro scouting and director of pro scouting for several other teams.

Wooden knows what this current Chargers roster is, from top to bottom. Does Spanos want to stay in-house for his next GM or seek elsewhere? Wooden checks a lot of internal boxes should that be the route to go.

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Charles Walls - Director of Player Personnel, Philadelphia Eagles

Walls recently joined the Eagles in his current role last offseason. However, he was a national scout for the Browns, looking for the best of the best in college football prospects. He knows what talent to look for come draft time and how to scout them.

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Champ Kelly - Interim GM, Las Vegas Raiders

Should Mark Davis pass on Kelly for the full-time role, the Chargers should consider him for their opening. He was previously the Bears' director of Pro Scouting before joining the Raiders.

In that role, Kelly supervised all pro player assessments, the advanced scouting process, free agency and assessed talent in professional leagues. This included the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. He also helped the college scouting staff with player evaluations and trades for the NFL Draft.