Being an NFL general manager is one of the most challenging jobs in sports unless you are one of these guys. In this case, it mainly involved making baffling draft picks and overpaying free agents. Some of them inherited good teams and ran them into the ground. Others tried to build from scratch and somehow made things worse.
From ignoring quarterback issues to lighting salary caps on fire, these GMs made decisions that left fans scratching their heads and coaches scrambling to survive. Here are 10 NFL general managers who had no business running a team.
10. Ryan Grigson
Grigson inherited Andrew Luck and somehow made the team worse every year. He built one of the worst offensive lines in football and still acted like everything was going according to plan.
9. Matt Millen
Millen drafted wide receivers as if they were the only position in football. The Lions became a punchline under his watch—and stayed there for years.
8. Dave Gettleman
Gettleman was convinced he was playing chess while everyone else saw checkers. He clung to outdated ideas about building a team and drafted in 1987.
7. Scott Pioli
Pioli came to Kansas City with a Patriots pedigree and left behind a disaster. His reign was marked by secrecy, locker room tension, and many losses.
6. Mike Tannenbaum
Tannenbaum helped push the Jets into a short window of success, then spent years handing out bad contracts like candy. His roster decisions had fans wondering if he watched the games.
5. Phil Emery
Emery made splashy moves without thinking long-term. His defining legacy might be giving Jay Cutler a monster contract extension just before everything fell apart.
4. Bill O’Brien
The coach may have had some moments, but O’Brien, the GM, was a one-person wrecking crew. He traded away DeAndre Hopkins for peanuts and then acted like it made sense.
3. Bruce Allen
Allen helped steer Washington into years of mediocrity and off-field embarrassment. His loyalty to dysfunction over results made him a symbol of everything wrong with the front office.
2. John Idzik
Idzik spent two seasons with the Jets and botched free agency and the draft. His infamous 12-pick draft class turned into basically nothing.
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1. Trent Baalke
Baalke helped run Jim Harbaugh out of San Francisco and then ran the roster straight into the ground. His draft history and power plays set the 49ers back years before they finally recovered.
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