JANUARY 30: The agreement is now in place, ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes. Hortiz will take on a Chargers roster which faces a number of key questions ahead of free agency and the draft as a new chapter for the organization begins with Harbaugh on the sidelines and a rookie GM in the front office.
JANUARY 29: Joe Hortiz has considerable experience working alongside John Harbaugh, and he will now be in place alongside the latter’s brother. The Ravens’ player personnel director is set to become the next general manager of the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Hortiz began his Ravens tenure in 1998, and he worked his way through the ranks during his tenure in the organization. The 48-year-old spent much of his Baltimore career on the scouting side of the organization, earning the title of college scouting director in 2009. He was then promoted to his current post in 2019 amidst growing general manager interest from outside teams.
The executive was a popular name in the past few hiring cycles. After interviewing with the Giants and Steelers about their open GM positions in 2022, he met with the Cardinals last offseason. The Chargers were the only known suitor for Hortiz in 2024, but that was enough to earn the executive his first GM job.
After finalizing a deal with head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers have been actively trying to fill the GM job previously held by Tom Telesco. It was assumed that Harbaugh would have considerable say in the Chargers’ hire, especially considering his feud with Trent Baalke that ended his 49ers tenure. So, it’s not a huge surprise that he landed someone who’s worked closely with his brother for much of the Ravens’ existence. One of two known finalists, Hortiz was viewed as the frontrunner late last week.
The Chargers cast a wide net in their search for a new GM. The organization was connected to 11 candidates, with Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown also earning a second interview. Interim JoJo Wooden was among those who garnered an interview, but it’s uncertain if he’ll be sticking around under Hortiz.
Now the GM will be tasked without turning around an organization that only has one playoff appearance over the past five seasons. The Chargers finished this past season with a 5-12 record, marking the fourth time they’ve finished with five or fewer wins over the past 10 years.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.