General managers have wide-ranging jobs and are responsible for more than most fans realize. They\u2019re in charge of scouting college players in preparation for the draft, scouting talent across the league for free agency and monitoring the trade market, negotiating contracts, self-scouting their own teams, and sometimes even hiring head coaches.<\/p>\n
Most good GMs delegate much of that, but ultimately, the buck stops with them. They\u2019re the top football executive for a franchise. And today, I\u2019m ranking all 32 GMs across the league.<\/p>\n
For this exercise, I weighed several factors. Draft history is among the most prominent, as is recent (and sometimes historical) team success and overall roster strength during their tenure. But I also considered mitigating factors and, in some cases, ownership interference. Most of the first- and second-year GMs (and some of third-years as well), who have largely incomplete grades, were ranked near the bottom of this list. That\u2019s not necessarily a reflection of what I think of them and their potential, just the reality that it\u2019s difficult to grade their work with such a limited sample size.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s jump right in:<\/p>\n
GM since: 2017<\/p>\n
No, Veach wasn\u2019t the general manager when the Chiefs drafted Patrick Mahomes<\/a>. He was promoted a few months later. But he is largely responsible for building the modern dynasty that won three Super Bowls and played in two more.<\/p>\n It\u2019s more than just Mahomes. Veach has engineered several major roster pivots, trading away stars in their prime or declining to sign big free agents to reallocate that money and stockpile new assets. Every time he\u2019s done this, it\u2019s worked. Now he\u2019s in the process of trying this yet again in the secondary. At this point, he\u2019s earned the benefit of the doubt.<\/p>\n GM since: 2010<\/p>\n \u201cHow does Howie keep getting away with this?\u201d rival fans groan each offseason. Roseman developed a reputation for fleecing other teams in trades consistently, lucking into excellent prospects at lower draft positions, and generally maximizing his assets in a way few other executives do.<\/p>\n One thing I\u2019m consistently impressed with is Roseman\u2019s refusal to be tied down to past decisions. He\u2019s unafraid to move off a coach or quarterback if he feels the time is right. He did both following the Eagles\u2019 2017 Super Bowl win, and it led to winning another in 2024. I don\u2019t know of another franchise where both head coach and quarterback would be on the hot seat less than two years removed from winning it all, but that\u2019s where Philly is right now. It\u2019s the Roseman way.<\/p>\n GM since: 2012<\/p>\n Snead is entering round two of his \u201cF*** Them Picks\u201d strategy. Last time he went all-in with a roster like this, the Rams won a Super Bowl in 2021. Now, Los Angeles has the best roster in the league, and it\u2019s not even close. That doesn\u2019t guarantee anything, but they\u2019re the favorites this season for a reason.<\/p>\n But as much as Snead likes trading away top draft assets for proven veterans and stars, his draft successes sometimes fly under the radar. He trades down and amasses large quantities of mid- and late-round picks, taking as many swings at the bat as possible. With that method, he built one of the league\u2019s strongest young cores with just one first-round pick, finding gems later in the draft.<\/p>\n GM since: 2010<\/p>\n It took him a decade, but Schneider won his second Super Bowl with a completely different team. One of the league\u2019s best drafters, he executed the Russell Wilson<\/a> trade a few years ago to re-arm with top assets, then rebuilt the roster from the ground up.<\/p>\n Schneider had a few draft duds mixed in there, but every general manager will, given enough time. The important thing: he didn\u2019t stack multiple bad years in a row and didn\u2019t allow himself to be overly tied down to specific draft miscues. That\u2019s the sign of a smart executive.<\/p>\n GM since: 2018<\/p>\n Just because the Packers haven\u2019t won a Super Bowl under Gutekunst doesn\u2019t mean his work is any less impressive. He climbed the ladder in Green Bay, working his way up through the organization until being promoted to general manager in 2018. Since then, he\u2019s re-energized the franchise and has them on the verge of reaching another level.<\/p>\n Gutekunst\u2019s draft record is strong, especially with his later picks. In 2022, he found three starting offensive linemen in the middle rounds, and the Jordan Love<\/a> pick a year prior aged well, too. He didn\u2019t engineer a massive rebuild or anything, but he contributed to and elevated a winning culture and roster.<\/p>\n GM since: 2014<\/p>\n It took a while for Licht to get his flowers. Taking Jameis Winston<\/a> No. 1 overall in 2015 didn\u2019t have the payoff he hoped for, but he won a Super Bowl by selling Tom Brady<\/a> on winning in Tampa Bay. It\u2019s easy to forget in hindsight, but that was seen as a surprising choice for Brady at the time, and it\u2019s a testament to Licht that not only could he convince Brady to come, but that he succeeded in building that team around him.<\/p>\n Since then, Licht handled the post-Brady transition well and continued to build a strong roster and make playoff appearances. He\u2019s a smart evaluator, cautious to overcommit to individual players and a consistently strong drafter.<\/p>\n GM since: 2021<\/p>\n Holmes has a case as the architect of the most successful rebuild in the NFL in recent years. With a few smart trades, he amassed assets, then flipped them into good, winning football players. He took advantage of league debates on positional value to grab sliding players more talented than their draft slot and built a team that was the NFC\u2019s No. 1 seed just two seasons ago.<\/p>\n After missing the playoffs last season and entering 2026 with a roster with a few big question marks, sustainability will be the next test for Holmes. It\u2019s one thing to flip a roster and go from bad to good \u2014 now he needs to handle roster turnover and keep Detroit near the top of a very competitive NFC.<\/p>\n GM since: 2019<\/p>\n DeCosta hasn\u2019t worked anywhere in the league but Baltimore. He joined the Ravens in 1996 and was an instrumental part of their front office for two decades, finally taking over as the heir apparent in 2019. DeCosta learned how to build a winning roster and has continued to employ those skills in his new role.<\/p>\n During his time as general manager, the Ravens have been a fixture in the AFC playoff race, but they have yet to make a Super Bowl. Firing longtime HC John Harbaugh this offseason was a bold choice, but hiring Jesse Minter \u2014 a contemporary of former Ravens DC and current Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald \u2014 could pay dividends.<\/p>\n GM since: 2021<\/p>\n Even though he was put in a tough position when he was first hired, Caserio has handled it well and come out the other side with one of the AFC\u2019s best rosters. He managed the Deshaun Watson<\/a> situation well, getting an absolute haul from the Browns for a player the Texans never intended to allow to see the field for them in the future. That move alone armed Caserio with all the draft picks he needed to flip the roster.<\/p>\n Being aggressive in trading up for Will Anderson<\/a> Jr. in 2023, a move that seemed extremely risky at the time, could not have aged better. Caserio\u2019s tenure may be defined by the performance of QB C.J. Stroud<\/a>, who looked like the league\u2019s next big thing as a rookie but has struggled in the two years since. A bounce-back season from him would do wonders for Houston.<\/p>\n GM since: 2017<\/p>\n Ballard is the hardest general manager to rank. One of the most widely respected executives in the league, he\u2019s also considered one of the best scouts and drafters. He strongly believes in building through the draft and rarely overspends on bad contracts. At the same time, the Colts haven\u2019t had much team success in Ballard\u2019s nine years at the helm, with just two playoff appearances and one playoff win in that span.<\/p>\n Most general managers don\u2019t keep their jobs this long with those results. It speaks to how Colts ownership \u2014 and the league at large \u2014 views Ballard. If fired, he wouldn\u2019t be long without a job. As he enters the last year of his contract, though, he\u2019ll be the first to tell you that his work needs to show up on the field. The Colts looked like one of the best teams in the league through eight games in 2025, before injuries decimated them. That excuse won\u2019t fly again.<\/p>\n GM since: 2022<\/p>\n While it\u2019s true he\u2019s had his share of misses, Poles has turned the Bears into a competent organization. When was the last time Chicago fans could say that? He\u2019s the one who traded the 2023 No. 1 overall pick for an absolute haul, including the pick that would go on to be No. 1 overall in 2024.<\/p>\n Most of Poles\u2019 moves have clear intent and purpose behind them (aside from giving up a second-round pick for WR Chase Claypool<\/a>). The Bears just won their first division title since 2018 and beat the Packers in the playoffs. Everything\u2019s coming up Chicago.<\/p>\n GM since: 2024<\/p>\n Wolf is technically listed as the \u201cDirector of Player Personnel.\u201d The Patriots don\u2019t employ a traditional general manager, but Wolf is the lead football executive. He joined the franchise in 2020 in a consulting role before being promoted to his current position when New England parted ways with Bill Belichick.<\/p>\n The Patriots have been moving differently with Wolf in charge. It\u2019s early in his tenure to rank him this highly, but it\u2019s impressive how quickly they\u2019ve built one of the league\u2019s best rosters. Even considering them a regression candidate this year doesn\u2019t take away from the job Wolf\u2019s done in such a short time.<\/p>\n GM since: 2024<\/p>\n I have a feeling Hortiz might rank much higher on this list next year. Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh<\/a> retains some level of personnel control, but Hortiz has put his mark on the roster as well. Los Angeles is coming off a wildcard appearance and hasn\u2019t been able to get over the hump under Hortiz, but that might all change this year.<\/p>\n It looked like the Chargers had closed the gap in the AFC West last season. Then both of their All-Pro tackles were lost for the season. Los Angeles will have to overcome losing Minter to the Ravens, but Hortiz\u2019s draft record is impressive and we might finally see the fruits of his labor in 2026.<\/p>\n GM since: 2017<\/p>\n Beane was brought over from the Panthers with Sean McDermott<\/a> in 2017. But when ownership felt it was time to make a change, Beane stuck around. McDermott didn\u2019t. Now Beane will be out of excuses if this shakeup doesn\u2019t lead to more playoff success.<\/p>\n Because as good as the Bills have been in recent seasons with Josh Allen<\/a> at quarterback, it\u2019s not hard to see how the roster has deteriorated around the former MVP. Buffalo\u2019s defense got old and they never successfully replaced Stefon Diggs<\/a> at wide receiver. Beane deserves all the credit in the world for drafting Allen, but the Bills have had their roster deficiencies exposed in the playoffs every year.<\/p>\n GM since: 2017<\/p>\n I don\u2019t know what to do with Lynch. On the one hand, the 49ers have been one of the league\u2019s best teams over the last decade with multiple Super Bowl appearances (with two very different rosters) and several more NFC Championship Game appearances. San Francisco has been so consistent in that span, even without a Super Bowl win.<\/p>\n On the other hand, Lynch is in the midst of a truly abysmal drafting stretch. It\u2019s a miracle the 49ers have remained competitive with the way they set third-round picks on fire and find little to no consistent value with their picks. Drafting is a big part of being a general manager, and Lynch does not have a strong track record in that department.<\/p>\n GM since: 2021<\/p>\n Paton\u2019s in a weird spot. He was brought in back in 2021 and immediately made the ill-fated Wilson trade with the Seahawks. Combined with the disastrous Nathaniel Hackett hire, it\u2019s safe to say his time as general manager got off to an inauspicious start.<\/p>\n Still, the Broncos now field one of the best rosters in the league and probably would have a Super Bowl appearance if starting QB Bo Nix<\/a> hadn\u2019t gone down with a broken ankle in the divisional round. This turnaround, though, coincided with the trade for former Saints HC Sean Payton, whom we know has a lot of personnel control. As a result, it\u2019s hard to say how much Paton is responsible for the current state of the roster.<\/p>\n GM since: 2024<\/p>\n After a hugely successful 2024 season, Peters looked like the league\u2019s next big star executive. Then his roster issues were exposed last season and enthusiasm has cooled significantly. I tend to land somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n Even though Peters relied too much on aging veterans around a young quarterback and paid the price for it, the early returns on his drafts have been strong. He needs to make more selections and stop trading picks for veterans on a team that gets younger. Even so, Peters is building something in Washington.<\/p>\n GM since: 2022<\/p>\n Khan might be judged more harshly than he deserves given his circumstances. Since he was promoted in 2022, the Steelers have been pushing all the chips in to try and capitalize on what they believe to be a Super Bowl-contending roster.<\/p>\n The issue is, Pittsburgh\u2019s roster isn\u2019t that strong, even if they could get the quarterback situation figured out. And an ever-older Aaron Rodgers<\/a> probably isn\u2019t solving that problem this season. The Steelers believe themselves to be in a stronger position than they actually are in. Whether that comes from ownership, Khan or a combination of the two is what\u2019s unclear.<\/p>\n GM since: 2024<\/p>\n Morgan\u2019s early roster construction will be tested this season. The Panthers were one of the surprise teams last year, finishing in a three-way tie for the NFC South lead, making the playoffs due to a tiebreaker.<\/p>\n But injuries have already struck Carolina in 2026, as they lost promising second-year ED Nic Scourton<\/a> to a torn ACL. I like what Morgan did with the defense this offseason, and his early draft record has some promising returns. But the Panthers might struggle to replicate last year\u2019s success, especially if QB Bryce Young<\/a> doesn\u2019t take a step.<\/p>\n GM since: 2002<\/p>\n With over 20 years of experience as general manager, Loomis has seen it all. He signed Drew Brees<\/a>, won a Super Bowl in 2009, and has been dealing with the fallout from Brees\u2019 retirement over the past few seasons.<\/p>\n The problem is, the Saints haven\u2019t done all that much winning in that span, especially considering they had a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback under center for most of that time. New Orleans consistently failed to provide Brees with competent defensive play, and they\u2019ve been stubbornly refusing the rebuild ever since Brees retired.<\/p>\n GM since: 2023<\/p>\n As Ossenfort enters his fourth year as the general manager in Arizona, in many ways he still has an incomplete grade. The Cardinals haven\u2019t been good under his watch, but he took over an intense rebuild, and they play in what\u2019s been the league\u2019s toughest division in recent seasons.<\/p>\n Ossenfort made some good, value-based trades and certainly improved the roster. But Arizona isn\u2019t good, and they\u2019ll likely struggle again this year. Ownership might be running out of patience.<\/p>\n GM since: 2020<\/p>\n Berry is another difficult evaluation in this exercise. There\u2019s no denying he\u2019s been dealt a tough hand. The Watson debacle (both the trade and the subsequent contract) were pushed through by ownership. And he\u2019s generally considered one of the more analytically-minded executives in the league.<\/p>\n But the Browns have been truly awful in his time as general manager, and now they\u2019re in year five of the same rebuild. Moving on from Baker Mayfield<\/a> for Watson didn\u2019t work out and Cleveland had to punt on a quarterback in each of the last two drafts. The Watson contract made team-building difficult, but Berry\u2019s draft record also isn\u2019t stellar.<\/p>\n GM since: 2025<\/p>\n The Titans have been one of the most dysfunctional organizations in football in recent years, which is saying something. They\u2019re starting to stabilize under Borgonzi. Hiring HC Robert Saleh finally gives Tennessee some direction, and now they can look to the future.<\/p>\n Building around the 2025 No. 1 pick, QB Cam Ward<\/a>, is Borgonzi\u2019s next task. The defense took a step last year and the offense is starting to come together.<\/p>\n GM since: 2025<\/p>\n Like most general managers, Spytek\u2019s tenure will be defined by his quarterback selection. Thankfully for him, the Raiders earned the No. 1 pick in a draft with one top-five quarterback option. With Fernando Mendoza in tow, Las Vegas has the player they hope is their future under center.<\/p>\n Now, Spytek must build around Mendoza. He added a lot to the defense and offensive line this offseason, and I like the Klint Kubiak hire at head coach.<\/p>\n GM since: 2025<\/p>\n The youngest general manager in the league, Gladstone does things his own way. And he\u2019s not shy about that. \u201cLet\u2019s shock the world\u201d isn\u2019t a great quote to hear from your head executive after submitting his first pick of the draft. He certainly believes his front office is smarter than the rest of the league. That\u2019s usually not a good bet to make.<\/p>\n For now, the Jaguars have one of the better rosters in the AFC and are prepared to defend their division title. We\u2019ll see if Gladstone\u2019s early draft arrogance comes back to bite him.<\/p>\n GM since: 2025<\/p>\n Mougey had the unfortunate luck to pick at No. 2 in a draft with only one good quarterback prospect. As such, the Jets are waiting until 2027 to select their next quarterback. That puts this current administration in an awkward position, but Mougey still has to field a team and improve the roster in the meantime.<\/p>\n Though this season will feel like treading water for Jets fans, New York still capitalized on a ton of draft assets to add an infusion of talent. How they develop will reflect on Mougey, at least on some level.<\/p>\n GM since: 2026<\/p>\n Cunningham came up as a scout with the Ravens before joining the Eagles as one of their top executives in 2017. Over the past four seasons, he was the Bears\u2019 assistant general manager under Poles. Cunningham now joins the Falcons with a wealth of experience in some of the league\u2019s top front offices.<\/p>\n GM since: 2026<\/p>\n A longtime Packers assistant, Sullivan spent over 20 years in Green Bay before getting his first shot at a full general manager gig. As previously mentioned, the Packers have been one of the best front offices in the league during that time. I like this hire for the Dolphins.<\/p>\n GM since: 2026<\/p>\n It was a weird path for the Vikings to get here, as they fired their former general manager just after the Senior Bowl and waited until after the draft to hire Teasley from Seattle. He spent the past decade as one of Schneider\u2019s top assistants and now brings that expertise to Minnesota.<\/p>\n GM since: 2022<\/p>\n It\u2019s a small miracle Schoen still has a job. While many of the Giants\u2019 issues in his tenure were the result of the since-fired HC Brian Daboll, Schoen is far from blameless. This is the first season in which I can confidently say New York has a better roster than it did when Schoen arrived. It\u2019s not a coincidence that new HC John Harbaugh arrived this offseason with an undisclosed amount of personnel control.<\/p>\n If Schoen and Harbaugh work well together, there\u2019s a chance that Schoen will stick around for a while. But if things start to go sideways, he\u2019ll get the hook long before Harbaugh does.<\/p>\n GM since: 1989<\/p>\n Jones is technically one of just six active general managers to win a Super Bowl. It\u2019s been a long, long time since that\u2019s been relevant in Dallas, though. Jones is also the Cowboys\u2019 owner and installed himself as the de facto general manager back in the 80s. You can count the number of playoff wins Dallas has since the turn of the millennium on one hand.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret that Jones is an anchor weighing the Cowboys down. And it\u2019s clear he won\u2019t just retire and step aside, at least not until he\u2019s forced to for health reasons or something similar. Whether he\u2019s flashing his team\u2019s draft board to the cameras or causing problems by getting into personal disputes with players, Jones will always be unapologetically himself. That hasn\u2019t meant good things for the Cowboys in decades.<\/p>\n GM since: 1999<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to overstate how bad Tobin has been. A Super Bowl appearance made everyone briefly forget about a long and sorry history. But now that he\u2019s wasting the careers of two of the league\u2019s best players, public opinion has soured once again.<\/p>\n In the 26 years under Tobin\u2019s leadership, the Bengals have set multiple incompetency records. In modern times, he\u2019s failed to provide Joe Burrow<\/a> with a competent offensive line, continues to employ an underwhelming head coach, and can\u2019t get the defense right. How much more evidence does Bengals ownership need?<\/p>\n Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?<\/p>\n Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors<\/a> on X.com<\/a>\u00a0and FACEBOOK<\/a>\u00a0for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"General managers have wide-ranging jobs and are responsible for more than most fans realize. 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