Jaguars General Manager Search: Pros and Cons of Louis Riddick's Potential Fit
The 2021 offseason is set to be a monumental one for the Jaguars. Not only are they guaranteed a top-2 pick and are stocked with draft picks and salary cap, but the team will also be finding a new front office leader.
Jacksonville has been run by two front office executives since 2013: Tom Coughlin, who called the shots as Executive Vice President of Football Operations, and Dave Caldwell, who had been the team's general manager from January 2013 until through Week 12 in 2020.
Caldwell was ousted following a 27-25 loss to the Cleveland Browns, with Jaguars owner Shad Khan announcing his departure shortly after the game.
Now, the Jaguars are embarking on a new general manager search to find who will be the next executive to decide on the biggest free agency and draft decisions facing the team in the coming months.
As we march toward to team making a hire, we will look at the pros and cons of each potential candidate. Today, we will look at ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who the Jaguars interviewed earlier this week.
Background
- Washington Football Team Pro Scout (2001-2004)
- Washington Football Team Director of Pro Personnel (2005-2007)
- Philadelphia Eagles Pro Scout (2008)
- Philadelphia Eagles Director of Pro Personnel (2009)
- Philadelphia Eagles Director of Pro Personnel (2010-2013)
- ESPN analyst: 2013-present.
A former NFL safety, Louis Riddick quickly moved into scouting following his playing career. Riddick played for Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns, and his defensive coordinator was Nick Saban.
In Washington, he worked for teams that were led on the field by Marty Schottenheimer, Steve Spurrier, and Joe Gibb. Washington made some notable pro scouting mistakes back then, such as signing Adam Archuleta, but other moves such as signing Marcus Washington and Andre Carter paid off.
The Eagles were led by head coach Andy Reid during most of Riddick's time in the front office, but Riddick was eventually replaced under Howie Roseman's regime as his contract ran out.
Pros
The biggest positives to Riddick's candidacy are the facts that he is well-traveled and has seen how some of the best in the business do it. He has a perspective as a former player that would undoubtedly be key in both evaluations and relationship building with his team.
One of the biggest reasons Tom Coughlin failed in Jacksonville was the disconnect between him and the locker room. The relationships were rocky at best as Coughlin adopted a "my way or the highway" approach. Riddick could potentially bring the opposite approach to this considering he is a younger candidate who is a former player.
Riddick also likely has some great connections in terms of a potential coaching staff and the surrounding front office. He has played for Belichick and Saban and worked with Reid with the Eagles, all positives when factoring in the additional personnel he would potentially bring in. Connections are important, and Riddick has connections to some important trees.
Finally, Riddick would be an attempt at a home run hire by Jaguars owner Shad Khan. The ESPN analyst has interviewed with numerous teams for general manager roles over the last few years but has yet to be formally selected. If the Jaguars wanted to truly make a splash and show they are willing to go in a bold direction, Riddick would certainly fit the bill.
Riddick also wouldn't necessarily be a Mike Mayock-type hire. Mayock was also a television analyst when the Raiders hired him to be their general manager, but he had zero experience in NFL front offices. Riddick is the opposite as he has over a decade of experience in front offices, though primarily on the pro scouting side as opposed to college scouting.
Cons
While the pros with Riddick's potential fit with the Jaguars are obvious, so are the cons. He certainly brings some interesting experience to the table, but there are red flags as well.
For one, Riddick hasn't worked in a front office since his contract with the Eagles wasn't renewed. His years in front offices and on the field likely mitigate this factor to a degree, but making the jump from television analyst to general manager after eight years on the sidelines is a major transition any way you look at it.
Another potential con is Riddick's actual experience. While he has years of working in NFL front offices under his belt, Riddick has never performed the duties of a general manager. He was a high-ranking scout and pro evaluator, but he didn't make decisions in Washington or Philadelphia when it came to the draft, at least not according to some who worked with him.
Ultimately the question is what has Riddick done since 2013 to convince teams he deserves to be a general manager, which would have been a major promotion for him even when he was working in the league. His time on television has been mostly praised and teams are clearly high on him considering he has had several interviews, but every analyst will have their high-profile misses and he is not excluded.
Riddick does have legitimate experience in the pro personnel department. Mayock, John Lynch, and others weren't able to say that when they were hired. But the Jaguars and other teams will have to find out just how valuable he was in those roles and how much of it would carry over to general manager vacancies.
