No general manager in the NFL gets everything right. It is always easy to look back and think about all the decisions one could have made instead, or what they would have done differently if they were given just one more year at the helm. That grace is not extended, however, to someone who has been fired twice.
Few general managers get the opportunity to be relieved of their duties on two occasions, but former Raiders decision-maker Tom Telesco is part of that exclusive club. After an 11-year tenure with the Chargers where he was fired for failing to build a contender, the experienced Telesco was hired by the Raiders to counterbalance the inexperience that head coach Antonio Pierce had.
While his lone draft class was largely celebrated, the team was still abysmal in 2024. As a result, both Telesco and Pierce were fired after just one season with the Raiders.
Former Raiders GM throws shade at organization after firing
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Telesco recently made an appearance on the [Check the Mic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv-pPbUC7Ms) podcast. While a majority of the show was spent talking about his experience with the Chargers, he also made some interesting comments about his time with the Raiders. He even threw a bit of shade at the organization for their choice to fire him after just one season.
"Big-picture-wise, we're building this for the future," Telesco said. "I'm thinking I'm gonna be there at least for a little while, the head coach will be there for a little while. Our infrastructure was not where it needed to be yet."
It is pretty clear that Telesco still feels disrespected by the organization's choice to move on from him. He thought that he was going to be given the opportunity to build the team up his way and be given grace considering his pairing with a first-time head coach.
**RELATED:** [**Tom Telesco's take on 2024 QB class is exactly why Raiders fired him**](https://justblogbaby.com/tom-telesco-s-take-on-2024-qb-class-is-exactly-why-raiders-fired-him-01jx0xw8e7np)
While it is unclear if owner Mark Davis pulled the rug out from under him or Telesco had a misunderstanding of the team's urgent timeline, this tandem was not likely to ever work out for the Silver and Black.
Telesco is absolved of a bit of blame considering the team ended up being out of range for any of the six first-round quarterbacks. However, the addition of Gardner Minshew was a disaster, and that falls squarely on Telesco's shoulders.
He did express some remorse for his decisions while leading the Raiders, but it also felt like a bit of sour grapes.
"Now looking back, if I knew that I only had one year there, maybe that would've been different," Telesco said. "I thought it was going to last longer than it did, but hey, welcome to the NFL."
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