The Los Angeles Chargers are expected to hire Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz as their next general manager, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, per sources. Rapoport added the sides are just working out final details.
The team has since announced the hiring.
"Joe is one of the most respected player evaluators and personnel minds in the league whose contributions to the Ravens front office over the past two decades cannot be overstated," said Chargers president of football operations, John Spanos, via the team's website. "When you consider his football IQ, eye for talent, ability to think both short and long term as it pertains to roster construction, organization, thoroughness and ability to be creative within the confines of our collective bargaining agreement, it's hard not to be excited about the future. Factor in his experience working with two of the best in the business in Ozzie Newsome and Eric DeCosta and the consistency of performance that their teams have achieved, Joe is without a doubt the right person to help Coach Harbaugh and his staff build a team that will make Chargers fans proud."
Hortiz has spent the last 26 years with the Ravens, rising through the ranks of low-level scout all the way to his current position, which he has held since 2019. Hortiz received a firsthand education in building championship-caliber rosters under both former Ravens general manager and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome, and his successor, current Ravens GM Eric DeCosta, serving on a personnel staff that has produced two Super Bowl champions (2000 and 2012) and seven AFC North titles since 2003.
He'll head west to repair a Chargers roster that already includes notable talent at quarterback (Justin Herbert), safety (Derwin James), tackle (Rashawn Slater) and receiver (Keenan Allen and Mike Williams), among others. Los Angeles has holes to fill, especially after finishing 28th in total defense in 2023, but is looking to turn the page toward a brighter future with a new regime led by Hortiz and head coach Jim Harbaugh, whom the Chargers plucked from the University of Michigan.
Outside of the defense, Hortiz will need to supply Herbert with ample weapons, especially as Allen enters the final year of a four-year, $45 million extension. Running back Austin Ekeler's future is also uncertain following a prolonged dispute with Los Angeles' former front office, which led to an adjusted one-year deal on which Ekeler played in 2023.
The Chargers must infuse their offense with youth and capable blockers for Herbert, a proven budding superstar whose 2023 season proved to be painfully forgettable. At minimum, Hortiz will be expected to produce a better roster than the one that took the field in 2023 -- especially as the optimistic Harbaugh era begins in 2024.
