EXCLUSIVE: 1-On-1 With Raiders Interim GM Champ Kelly

The Las Vegas Raiders are still in the chase for the NFL playoffs, and we sat down for an exclusive interview with Interim General Manager Champ Kelly.

HENDERSON, Nev.—A short time after Raiders owner Mark Davis decided to move on from then-General Manager Dave Ziegler, I listed my top three candidates for the next Silver and Black GM, and one of those names was Champ Kelly.

A proven talent evaluator and a man comfortable in his skin, Kelly is smart enough to understand he doesn’t know everything.

Kelly is lauded around the NFL as a young man who will significantly impact a franchise, and conventional wisdom in the league is that it isn’t a matter of whether Kelly will get a general manager’s job permanently, but when.

Early in the 2023 season, I spoke with Kelly in an NFL press box and expressed my desire to pull back the curtain on the Raiders’ assistant general manager and let Raider Nation and NFL fans get to know him everywhere.

Kelly agreed to an interview, and we settled on the bye week, months ahead on the NFL calendar.

Neither of us nor you knew what was ahead for the Raiders and that by the time this interview came about, he would be the Interim General Manager of the Raiders.

Kelly did the interview the Friday morning after the Raiders destroyed the Los Angeles Chargers, 63–21.

Neither Kelly nor the Raiders told me what I could or couldn’t ask, but I wanted the interview to be about Kelly and who he is.

What follows are our lengthy questions and answers.

HC: Everyone who talks about Champ Kelly at some point talks about their admiration of you as a family man and a man of faith. How much have those two things shaped and maintained you?

Kelly: “I would probably shape it as faith, then family. People have asked me through the years: ‘Who is your coaching tree?’ I tell them my coaching tree starts with my grandmother, Mary Sorey. She raised me as a God-fearing man. She raised me to be tough and resilient, and to be honest and truthful. She taught me the word of God and in all things to keep God first. Whenever she called, she would end every phone conversation with: ‘I love you, keep God first.’ I try to live my life with that standard, as to live my life in that manner is what I’ve been called to do.”

1-On-1 With Las Vegas Raiders Interim GM Champ Kelly / Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today

HC: You played multiple positions at the University of Kentucky, so as a GM, when someone is not a pronounced star at a position such as defensive end Maxx Crosby and wide receive Davante Adams, how important is position versatility to you as an evaluator of talent?

Kelly: “I played a lot of positions probably because I wasn’t good enough to play only one. I was blessed to have enough smarts and intelligence to be the guy who a coach could depend on to quickly learn any position. So, I was placed on different sides of the ball at different times, based on the needs of the team. Therefore, being selfless is important to me.

“You are asking about versatility, and I think that is extremely important. Some of the things I look for in a player are passion, physicality, positivity, productivity and professionalism. Versatility is a key component alongside those factors. It can be an indication of selflessness, dependability and intelligence. If you have a player who can align in multiple positions, you can maximize your game-day roster. That is where versatility plays in.”

HC: Another area that people talk about with you is your love of football. How did that get planted, and how old were you when you grasped your love of the sport?

Kelly: “When you are born in North Florida, they give you a pacifier and a football. I was raised by my grandparents, and my uncles all played football. My uncle Jacob was the model for me while I was growing up. I got to watch him play with guys like Neal Anderson. As they played football on the field on Friday nights, I’d be behind the bleachers playing pick-up football games with the other kids.

“The values that you learn from this game are unparalleled: discipline, toughness, teamwork. The dependability it requires of your teammates to achieve a common goal is unique. The selflessness that it takes to do your job and allow someone else to receive glory is admirable. The humility it requires going in week after week knowing that sometimes you’re going to come out on top, but other times it ain’t going to come out in your favor, is character building. You go back to the drawing board, and you fight for it again and again.

“I was told by my high school coach that I would never do more for the game of football than what the game of football would do for me. This game has provided me with a college education, a degree in computer science and a Master’s in business. I met my wife in college, met some of my best friends in the world through this game of football. This game now provides for my wife, Stephanie, and my three girls. I am forever indebted and grateful for what this game means to me and my family. Therefore, I will always be an ambassador for the game, a protector of the shield and I will stand for everything that a Raider embodies.”

HC: You played in non-NFL professional football in the UIF. As a GM, there is now a higher obligation than to ascertain the best players and then to be able to accumulate them. How important are small schools and non-NFL professional football leagues in building the best 53-man roster?

Kelly: “I played in a few nonprofessional-professional leagues. When I played ball for the Lexington Horsemen, it was full-court football. Some of the most fun I’ve had in the game was playing with my Horsemen teammates and coaches. I played with and against some of the most talented individuals that I’ve seen in the sport, and that’s the honest truth.

“I’m never going to overlook an athlete who is playing in the Arena League or some of these other professional leagues. We assign our pro scouts to have oversight of all the different leagues and their players. It is important for us to know where talent resides. As long as a player has the character traits, skills and intelligence that embody what we are looking for, it doesn’t matter how they’re acquired.”

HC: Every GM has a doctrine, a principle of belief as to their style. Some see draft picks as gold, and some see them as capital to barter for proven players. What is the Champ Kelly Doctrine of roster building?

Kelly: “As it pertains to my philosophy on team building in the NFL, you must start with the quarterback position. The quarterback is one of the most difficult positions to play in all sports. In addition, I believe in building the team from inside out, meaning to start with offensive and defensive fronts. The key is being able to obtain the quarterback, then be able to protect that player through scheme and skill. Next, we must be able to disrupt the opponent’s passer on the defensive side of the ball through both rush and coverage.”

HC: You have a long, successful track record in the NFL before the Raiders with the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears. What did you learn from your time at the Broncos? Was the organization highly successful in gathering talent and winning on the field?

Kelly: “The Broncos gave me my first opportunity in the NFL, and I am forever grateful to that organization. I spent four years trying to get into this league before getting my first interview. I sent letters and emails three times a year to all 32 teams. The resiliency and desire to get in was always there. I was blessed to have a relationship with the Broncos’ VP of Personnel, Jim Goodman. Coach Mike Shanahan and Jim gave the country kid from Campbellton, Fla., an opportunity to get into this league. They believed in me, they championed me and all I wanted to do in return was to work my tail off. I didn’t have a coach who was in the NFL, I didn’t have a brother or some other pathway to it.

“Being in that organization and being around players like John Lynch, Rod Smith, Peyton Manning, Champ Bailey, Von Miller, Elvis Dumervil, DeMarcus Ware, Demaryius Thomas, Wesley Woodyard, Danny Trevathan and countless others allowed me to begin to catalog and database what NFL players really looked like. I had the chance to be a part of the acquisition of one of the most prolific passers in history, Peyton Manning. Seeing the value of adding a veteran quarterback through free agency and how one player can impact a roster was a significant learning moment.

“I had a chance to learn so much football from Coach Shanahan, John Fox and the other Broncos coaches and staff. Coach Shanahan would spare no expense for his team to be successful. He is a brilliant offensive mind and someone who I can count on and depend on even to this day. I still lean on Coach Shanahan for advice and counsel. His offensive influence is apparent throughout the NFL today.

“Coach Fox taught me the importance of team culture and empowering players. A team-first mentality was exemplified throughout the organization. This selfless approach reminded me of values taught by my grandmother through scripture. I reference this passage from Philippians 2:3-4, and it reads: ‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition, or vain conceit. Rather in humility, value others above yourself, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interest of others.”

HC: What about your time with the Bears? Again, you were highly praised for your work there. What did you learn from that organization?

Kelly: “I was fortunate to continue my education in roster building in Chicago. Although the Bears were a founding franchise of the NFL, we were in a mode of rebuilding and retooling. I had a chance to go there and have a hand in building a team that went from near the bottom of the league in defense to having one of the top defenses in the league in 2018. It was awesome to be a part of drafting an impact player like Roquan Smith and trading for a future Hall of Famer like Khalil Mack. Their impact was felt immediately.

“When I first got to Chicago, there would be times we would watch the waiver wire every single day and treat it like our draft. We were looking at the wire with the intent of incrementally improving our roster. The players we claimed would sometimes have to come in and play that next week, and so to watch our roster go from that to what we were able to do in 2018 was an indication of what you can do with the right plan and process.

“We didn’t reach our ultimate goal during that time. But it was validating to get a chance to work at the place that I rooted for and dreamed of as a child. Plus, I got a chance to meet my childhood hero, Neal Anderson, at the Bears’ 100th anniversary reunion.”

HC: What has this interim time taught you that has made you better, considering it came after the trade deadline and you haven’t had a draft?

Kelly: “I’m glad you asked that question. I think people are really quick to discount what being a general manager in the NFL entails. The league now mandates that every team turns in a job description of what it means to be a general manager and/or a head coach. Those descriptions are just the tip of the iceberg as to what it takes and what is required of those positions.

“Yes, I was assigned this role after the trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t significant work to be done. There is no tag team between the head coach and general manager. We are simultaneously working toward our goals every single day, every single hour, every single game. We are responsible for developing and implementing the shared vision of the owner and team leadership. We are also responsible for stewarding and protecting that culture every single day.

“Culture is elusive. It’s slippery. As you lead teams as a general manager, as you lead teams as a head coach, you’re responsible for corralling that culture and making sure it is consistently and constantly molded into your vision and your owner’s vision for the franchise.

“You’re responsible for stewarding impeccable communication. You are responsible for communicating to ownership, making sure there are no surprises. You are responsible for communicating to your team and staff about what they can do to be successful, not just this week but beyond. You are doing that while you are communicating to your fans, the Raider Nation, about your plan to bring them excitement moving forward.

“I love talking about this because as I sit in this seat now, I’ve been blessed with tremendous quality men and women in which I work alongside. They are extremely talented and extremely gifted. My responsibility is to be able to equip, empower, and entrust them to execute their jobs at an extremely high level. If I have an ego, I’m not allowing them to work to their capacity, which can hurt the organization.

“This job is so all encompassing, every day you have someone come up with an issue that is the most important thing for them at that time and while they are in your office, you treat that as the most important thing for you at that time. Once they know that you value them, that you care about the things that they care about, now we can make sure that we are tracking along the same path, growing in the same direction to meet the team goal, to meet the organization’s goal.

“I got into this seat after the trade deadline, but the waiver wire doesn’t stop coming. Transactions don’t stop happening, we are constantly looking to incrementally improve our roster. We are constantly adjusting to unforeseen circumstances, whether it be injuries or otherwise. All while, we are cultivating our culture and making sure that the right people are added and developed for now and for the future. Whether I’m sitting at this seat for the Raiders or not, my Granddaddy always told me: ‘No matter where you go son, you leave that place better than it was before you got there.’”

HC: So if I am hearing you correctly, it sounds as if the Champ Kelly Doctrine is that it is just as important to scout, and recruit staff, as it is players?

Kelly: “You have to spend as much time empowering, listening and developing your staff. Roster evaluation and valuation are extremely important. Roster building is what we will ultimately be judged on, those wins and losses. But we cannot get to the point of sustained success without having the proper people operating at a championship standard in each department.”

HC: No one knows what tomorrow holds. You don’t control that, but for you, what does being a Raider mean to you?

Kelly: “I would say that God controls my future. I think there’s a unique sense of ownership when you talk about being a Raider. The statement, ‘Once a Raider, always a Raider,’ speaks to every single level of the organization. When you become a part of this franchise, you feel a sense of obligation to put forth everything you have for the amount of moments you get to spend as a Raider. Because you know that once you leave here, your contributions will echo through eternity.

“This is by far the franchise that invests the most into their alumni. A huge part of my job is making sure that the alumni understand what we are doing and that the alumni value how we are operating. I think that is extremely important, and unique to any other football team. The alumni are part of what we do. Every decision we make is with the thought of not just our future, but how the experiences of the past have contributed to that decision.

“When players suit up in that Silver and Black, it’s a deeper meaning, it goes down into the core, the gut. The Commitment to Excellence and the dedication to winning is evident in the way we fight through adversity no matter the circumstances.

“When I think of being a Raider, I think of opportunity, I think of pioneers, of being on the cutting edge of areas such as diversity, inclusivity, equity. There is a sense of pride in that for me especially being a black male from North Florida with humble beginnings. There is a toughness that goes into it, a resiliency. I think it is a multifaceted statement when you talk about being a Raider. But you feel it in your bones when you are here.”

HC: You are a leader. The people who talk about you around the NFL discuss that you are a person who listens and accumulates information, but in the end, you aren’t afraid to make your own decisions. Once you finally sit in your GM chair, how much balance is there in accumulating people’s opinions and following your instincts?

Kelly: “Over the years, I’ve developed a decision-making model that I believe in, that I fully follow in nearly every decision:

• Understand the problem or issue.
• Make no assumptions.
• Collect all information.
• Consult with wise counsel.
• Remove all bias.
• Execute with conviction.
• Debrief to improve or replicate.”

On Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the Silver and Black will return to action versus their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Don't miss it on Monday, December 25, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.

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