Source: Chargers hiring Hortiz as general manager

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers are working to hire Baltimore Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortis as general manager, sources told Adam Schefter on Monday.

Hortis will pair with new coach Jim Harbaugh, whom the team hired last week.

Hortis has been with the Ravens for the past 26 years, starting in 1998 as a football personnel assistant and in his current position since 2019. As director of player personnel, he oversees the Ravens’ college and pro scouting efforts, helping general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh, Jim’s brother.

During Jim Harbaugh’s final NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014, he worked with general manager Trent Baalke and team leadership There were rifts in the relationship, leading to him leaving for Michigan State before his contract ended.

Hortiz’s relationship with Harbaugh — and most importantly who has the final say on personnel decisions — will be one of the biggest questions Harbaugh and the team’s leadership must answer.

Hotiz will succeed Tom Telesco, who served as the Chargers’ general manager for the past 11 seasons. Telesco and head coach Brandon Staley were fired on Dec. 15, the day after the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Chargers 63-21. Telesco has since been hired by the Raiders as their new general manager.

Harbaugh and Hortis are tasked with turning around a Chargers team that is 5-12 this season and is expected to be $54.2 million over the salary cap next season.