The NFL’s fourth accelerator program for front office staff and general manager candidates starts Monday in Dallas as part of the league’s winter meetings, which end Wednesday.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) —
Carthon also talked briefly with Titans President Burke Nihill and had a longer conversation with Adolpho Birch III, the team’s senior vice president and chief external and league affairs officer. Carthon knew of Birch, who previously worked in the league office.
When the Titans sent the first email requesting to interview Carthon, he said those brief talks gave him a feeling about who they were as people — even if he didn’t know much about the franchise’s organization.
“I walked away from that meeting feeling like, ‘You know, these were genuinely good people that I wouldn’t mind working for,’” Carthon said. ”So I thought it was really beneficial.”
For this accelerator program, Indianapolis is the only team of the league’s 32 not sending at least one person while 11 teams are sending two.
The Titans are sending only assistant director for pro scouting Kevin Turks. Carthon said that’s because Anthony Robinson, now the Titans’ assistant general manager, already has been twice after being sent by Atlanta. Tennessee also has sent director of pro scouting Brian Gardner twice.
“I felt it was necessary to go with some new blood,” Carthon said of Turks, who has a variety of experience in the NFL making him a quality candidate.
Dews wasn’t sure at his second coaching accelerator program in May if anyone truly remembered him. He left having talked with enough people feeling he had made some initial connections from that first trip.
“I certainly remembered them,” Dews said. “And it was a great opportunity, again, to interact with the ownership groups and front office personnel. So, again, it was a great opportunity, got a lot of great information.”
Coming from a winning franchise helps most.
Carthon had spent six seasons with the 49ers, helping a franchise that lost the Super Bowl in February 2020 before reaching the NFC title game for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Davis and Tepper will be top targets at this session. Davis needs both a GM and a head coach after firing both general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels to start November. Tepper fired his coach in Carolina on Nov. 27.
Yes, Dews has noticed the success of first-year coach DeMeco Ryans, who has AFC South rival Houston currently in the seventh and last playoff spot with a winning record, and Antonio Pierce who is 2-2 since taking over the Raiders as interim coach.
“Obviously anytime someone has success, it can open doors for others,” Dews said.
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