The Chargers announced the hiring of Joe Hortiz as their new General Manager on Tuesday.
Hortiz will oversee all player personnel and scouting, including free agency and the NFL draft, while working with new coach Jim Harbaugh.
Hortiz, 48, most recently was the director of player personnel for the Ravens from 2019-23 after holding a variety of roles while advancing through Baltimore’s personnel department.
“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,” Chargers president of football operations John Spanos said in a statement. “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.”
Hortiz, who helped build Baltimore’s Super Bowl XLVII-winning roster, brings 26 seasons of NFL experience to Los Angeles. In the past five seasons, Hortiz has helped the team compile rosters to make the playoffs in four of those seasons with a 56-27 record in that span.
He worked closely with Harbaugh’s brother, Ravens coach John Harbaugh, in Baltimore.
“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,” Hortiz said in a statement. “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.”
The Chargers have not won a postseason game since the 2018 season and they have not advanced to the AFC Championship Game since the 2007 season.
They are projected to be $55 million over the 2024 salary cap, giving Hortiz a big challenge to start.
