Raiders’ general manager hire: Meet Dave Ziegler

Former New England executive is now in Vegas

The Las Vegas Raiders have hired Dave Ziegler as their new general manager, replacing the fired Mike Mayock.

Let’s take a quick look at Ziegler’s background:

Age:
44

Last job:
Ziegler spent the 2021 season as the New England Patriots’ director of player personnel. In 2020, he was the Patriots’ assistant director of player personnel. In the previous four seasons, he was their director of pro personnel and he spent the previous three seasons as New England’s assistant director of pro scouting. In all, he spent 10 seasons with the Patriots and won three Super Bowl rings there.

NFL Experience:
He has been in the league for 13 years. Prior to his time in New England, Ziegler spent three seasons in the Denver Broncos’ scouting department. He went to Denver with new Raiders coach Josh McDaniels. Ziegler has spent all but one of his years in the league with McDaniels.

Raiders legacy:
Ziegler is the fourth general manager of the team after the 2011 death of owner Al Davis, following Reggie McKenzie and Mayock. He and McDaniels will likely split personnel duties, but we should learn more about that later. Like McDaniels, Ziegler has no Raiders ties, which is fairly rare.

What’s he’s known for:
Ziegler is considered a smart, organized front-office type.

Concerns:
How many free agent and draft decisions was he truly making in New England? We all know Bill Belichick runs the show there and we all know the troubles former Belichick underlings have had on their own in the NFL.

Hometown:
Tallmadge, Ohio.

College:
He played wide receiver at John Carroll University with McDaniels and Jerry Schuplinski, who was the quarterbacks coach with the Giants in 2021. He could be a fit in las Vegas as an assistant.

Family:
Ziegler is married with three children.