Jaguars to interview ESPN’s Louis Riddick for open general manager position

The Jacksonville Jaguars will interview ESPN Monday Night Football analyst Louis Riddick on Wednesday for the open general manager position, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Riddick joined the Monday Night Football booth in 2020, alongside Steve Levy and Brian Griese, but has been working as an NFL analyst for ESPN since May of 2013.

Prior to Riddick’s time at ESPN, he gained front office experience as director of pro personnel for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2010-2013. Before that, he was the assistant director of pro personnel (2009) and a pro scout (2008) for the Eagles. Riddick started his post-playing career with Washington as a pro scout from 2001-2004, before he was promoted to the director of pro personnel there from 2005-2007.

Riddick, a safety, was also a longtime NFL player. After playing collegiately at Pittsburgh, he was selected in the ninth round (there were 12 rounds in total at the time) of the 1991 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

In 1992, Riddick moved to the World Football League, playing for the Sacramento Surge, and winning a World Bowl title. He then re-joined the NFL later that year as a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Riddick went on to play for the Cleveland Browns from 1993-1995 before another brief stint in Atlanta in 1996. He closed out his NFL career with the (then) Oakland Raiders in 1998. Riddick also played for the XFL’s Orlando Rage in 2001.

Obviously, Riddick does not have general manager experience, and has been away from any front office position for several years, but he gained valuable experience as director of pro personnel in Washington and Philadelphia. He also has the playing experience, giving him a good NFL pedigree and understanding on both the front office/business side, as well as the players’ perspective side of the coin.

Riddick is a popular name for the general manager interview process. He has reportedly already interviewed for the same position with the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans, and could very well land a job heading into the 2021 season.