The same week in which the NFL highlighted its recent advancements in inclusive hiring during meetings in Dallas, the Los Angeles Chargers helped the league take another step forward by elevating JoJo Wooden to be their interim general manager.
Previously the Chargers’ director of player personnel, Wooden, 54, becomes the NFL’s 10th Black general manager among 11 general managers of color overall, marking the highest totals in each category in league history. Rod Graves of the Fritz Pollard Alliance is heartened by Wooden’s promotion and the league’s total progress in the hiring of football-operations leaders.
An NFL lifer, Graves has worn many hats during almost 40 years in the league. Formerly a club player-personnel official, a general manager and a high-ranking executive in the commissioner’s office, Graves, executive director of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, is the leader of the independent group that advises the league on matters of diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring.
In this key area, Graves believes, there’s no denying the NFL has made strides.
“The promotion of JoJo Wooden into the interim GM position signifies progress for the NFL,” Graves wrote in a text message to Andscape. “There is no debate over Wooden’s experience and talent.
“He is highly respected. The L.A. Chargers were quick to recognize that. This underscores where the progress is being made. This opportunity opens the door for Wooden to solidify his position into a permanent role.”
Although Wooden and Champ Kelly of the Las Vegas Raiders occupy interim roles, both are expected to receive strong consideration from their teams remain in the positions beyond this season. There are myriad reasons to believe that Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Raiders owner Mark Davis have confidence in their accomplished employees.
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Since joining the Chargers in 2013, Wooden has overseen the franchise’s college and pro scouting departments. Among his duties, Wooden has helped direct the team’s efforts in the NFL draft and free agency.
A linebacker during his playing days at Syracuse University, Wooden cut his teeth in NFL scouting with the New York Jets. He steadily climbed the ladder after joining the team in 1997 as a low-level assistant in the player-personnel department, rising to become the Jets’ assistant director of player personnel for six years.
Wooden is personable, organized, has a keen eye for spotting talent and understands how to assemble a roster, NFL officials who have interacted with him throughout the years told Andscape. He’s highly respected within the Chargers’ organization, officials said.
There was nothing surprising about the Chargers’ move or the continued positive developments in inclusive hiring overall, NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent believes. According to Vincent, the league has focused on doing better.
“Over the past few years, we have seen steady and positive increase in the leadership role for front-office personnel,” Vincent wrote in a text message to Andscape.
“JoJo’s experience and outstanding track record both in college and pro scouting, player personnel and cap experience is second to none. Through the firsthand experience with this interim position, JoJo will be provided insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of the general manager. Ultimately, this interim role should position him well for long-term consideration.”
Similarly, Kelly figures to benefit from his new experience with the Raiders.
In his second season with the Raiders, Kelly, 44, is in his second month as the interim leader of the team’s football operation. Previously, Kelly became the Chicago Bears’ director of pro scouting in 2015 and was promoted to assistant director of player personnel in 2017. Kelly began his career as a scout with the Denver Broncos, rising to become their assistant director of pro personnel.
A wide receiver and defensive back at the University of Kentucky, Kelly earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and an MBA. A whiz with numbers, he once worked in software for IBM. Kelly is as affable as he is analytical, league officials said.
The fact that Wooden and Kelly are even in position to compete to remain in their current jobs illustrates the NFL’s recent success on this front.
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At the end of the 2018-19 season, Chris Grier, general manager of the Miami Dolphins, was the NFL’s only Black employee to occupy what has traditionally been the most important executive role in football operations. Since 2020, however, eight of the last 13 non-interim openings for general managers have been filled by people of color, including seven by Black men: Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns, Brad Holmes of the Detroit Lions, Terry Fontenot of the Atlanta Falcons, Martin Mayhew of the Washington Commanders, Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings and Ran Carthon of the Tennessee Titans.
Carthon was formerly the director of player personnel for the San Francisco 49ers. In May 2022, Carthon participated in the inaugural session of an NFL program intended to accelerate the rise of accomplished minority employees in coaching and management. Carthon impressed Titans principal owner Amy Adams Strunk during their initial face-to-face meeting. The Titans hired Carthon in January.
With regard to the position of general manager, the league is in a good place these days, according to N. Jeremi Duru.
A professor of sports law at American University, Duru authored the definitive book on the creation of the Rooney Rule, Advancing The Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL. He’s also among the nation’s foremost experts on the NFL’s hiring practices.
“Just four years ago the NFL had only one general manager of color. Going from one to 10 in four years is progress however you look at it,” Duru wrote in a text message to Andscape. “Now, it’s important to note that it shouldn’t be significant.
“In a league with a player population that is roughly 70% players of color, having 30% GMs of color should not be a big deal. But such diversity is unprecedented in any off-the-field position of power in the NFL. There have never been 10 head coaches of color. There have never been 10 presidents of color. In fact, there have never been 10 offensive coordinators of color.”
When it comes to inclusive hiring at the club level, the NFL still has plenty of heavy lifting to do. With the position of general manager, however, the league is getting the results its top leaders want.