Raiders hire Champ Kelly as assistant general manager

The Las Vegas Raiders continued to retool their front office by hiring Champ Kelly of the Chicago Bears as their assistant general manager.

Kelly will assist new Las Vegas general manager Dave Ziegler. Kelly was one of the eight candidates Raiders’ owner Mark Davis and his search committee interviewed in their quest to replace Mike Mayock, who was fired as general manager Jan. 17.

This addition was part of a bigger picture move as Las Vegas remakes its front office. There will likely be more changes in the Raiders’ front office this offseason.

Kelly worked with both new Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels and Ziegler in Denver more than a decade ago. Kelly has been the Chicago Bears’ assistant director of player personnel since 2017 and was with the Bears when they acquired defensive end Khalil Mack in a massive trade in 2018.

Kelly first joined the Bears in 2014 after spending eight years with the Broncos. He was in Denver when McDaniels and Ziegler joined the team. He is considered a smart scout who has a bright future in the NFL.