In reality, it probably shouldn't surprise anyone to hear that NFL hires are discussed way before they're announced. The history of NFL teams hiring people without totally following correct procedure is about as long as the history of the NFL itself. And yet, each time it happens, it still never quite sits right. Take, for example, the latest instance: the Chargers hiring Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz. Hortiz, who'd been with the Ravens in a number of different positions since 1998, was hired by Los Angeles to be their new General Manager. And while that hire was announced on January 30th, it was reportedly talked about at least two days earlier:
Chargers GM Joe Hortiz spoke to Jim Harbaugh on the sideline of the AFC Championship about the GM opportunity.
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) February 6, 2024
And truthfully, the optics of this are worse than the reality. Two days is not the end of the world, not to mention the fact that it had already been reported – even before the AFC Championship game – that Hortiz was taking multiple interviews with the Chargers, as well as a few other teams. But still, the fact that the Baltimore's head coach invited his brother to the sidelines of the AFC Championship game, which then provided said brother the opportunity to seal the deal on hiring Hortiz away to a different team in the same conference, is a tough pill to swallow Ravens fans. Every NFL fan clamors for better access, but sometimes, seeing how the sausage is made isn't quite worth it.