Scott

Pioli

Per La Canfora, Pioli “has a strong relationship with Meyer going back a ways.” Baalke is already in Jacksonville as the director of player personnel. Connected to Jacksonville earlier this month, Farmer had a rough go of it in Cleveland half a decade ago.

This would have the Lions going right back to the Bill Belichick well after Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia spectacularly flamed out. The Chiefs’ GM from 2009-12, Pioli left behind some building blocks for Andy Reid but his four years in charge did not go well, producing a 23-41 record. He rehabilitated his reputation as a longtime lieutenant to Thomas Dimitroff in Atlanta before resigning in May 2019. Pioli would come with more upside than some retreads, but it would still be a middling hire for a franchise searching for its first playoff victory in three decades.

Pioli said he wasn’t fired, isn’t sick and doesn’t have another job lined up. “I’m fine. My family is fine,” Pioli said. “This was my choice and it’s just time. Time for what, I don’t know, yet.” It’s possible that the former general manager had simply spent enough time playing second banana, even if it was to his good friend Thomas Dimitroff. It’s also possible Pioli could be eyeing media opportunities. He was surprisingly good on television in between his Chiefs and Falcons jobs.

After a star-crossed tenure as the Chiefs’ general manager ended in Pioli’s 2012 firing, he teamed up with fellow ex-Pat Thomas Dimitroff in Atlanta, where he had been something of a secret weapon since 2014. “After careful consideration and ongoing dialogue with Thomas over the past year I have decided to step away from my position as the assistant general manager of the Atlanta Falcons to pursue other potential opportunities,” Pioli said in a statement. It certainly sounds like Pioli wants another shot at leading a front office, though this might not be the best way to go about it. Pioli had a huge hand in replenishing the Falcons’ roster.