Chargers Officially Hire Joe Hortiz As GM

The Los Angeles Chargers announced Monday that they’ve officially hired Ravens executive Joe Hortiz as their new general manager. 

“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 President of Football Operations John Spanos. “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.”  

Here’s a statement from Hortiz:

“When you’ve had the privilege of working with one organization your entire career, something that’s exceedingly rare in our business, the opportunity and fit has to pretty much be perfect to consider a change,” said Hortiz. “This is that opportunity — the Chargers’ brand, the uniforms, foundational building blocks already on the roster, a new training facility, SoFi Stadium and a clear commitment from the Spanos family to dedicating every resource possible towards bringing a Lombardi trophy home to our fans; it’s all there. Then of course, having known the Harbaugh family for all these years and the chance to continue that special relationship in this new role, I truly could not be more fortunate.”

Hortiz, 49, is in his 20th season with the Ravens and seventh as Baltimore’s director of college scouting. He joined the organization in 1998 and spent eight years as a scout before becoming a national scout for three seasons.

He was promoted to director of college scouting in 2009 before becoming Baltimore’s director of player personnel in 2015.