Building a football team isn’t easy, but some general managers are better than others at identifying talent and making smart decisions. Whereas other NFL GMs make assembling a great roster look easy. Here are the 10 worst NFL general managers in 2024. Note: All first-time NFL GMs hired in 2024 are exempt, but their clock starts now.
Jerry Jones, Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have made several wise moves during the NFL Draft, picking up Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Trevon Diggs. But Jerry Jones doesn’t handle the bulk of the draft day decisions for the Cowboys. That honor belongs to Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay. But when it comes to getting contract extensions done with franchise cornerstones such as Prescott or Lamb, Jones hasn’t held up his end of the bargain. Trading Amari Cooper to stick with Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t a good move either. There’s no excuse for the Cowboys not winning a Super Bowl since 1995.
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Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts have a decent roster. They’ll go as far as Anthony Richardson can bring them. But he’s rarely made the splashy addition in free agency and has made some otherwise bad moves at QB, such as putting his faith in an aging Matt Ryan and a hobbled Carson Wentz. He’s had some good draft picks over the years, but we still haven’t gotten over firing Frank Reich for Jeff Saturday.
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Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Minnesota Vikings
Aside from Jordan Addison, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s draft classes have been horrible so far. His first two picks in 2022, Lewis Cine and Andrew Booth, don’t even look rosterable two years later. It’s way too early to grade JJ McCarthy or Dallas Turner, but letting Kirk Cousins leave in free agency never should have happened. His tenure will be defined by the decision at QB, but he needs one of his three draft classes to start panning out.
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Terry Fontenot, Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons had to tamper just to find their franchise quarterback, yet months later, they drafted another QB of the future despite having other needs. It’s an odd decision, considering they publicly informed everyone that they wouldn’t pursue Lamar Jackson when he was very briefly semi-available while being franchise-tagged. The pressure is on in Atlanta. If the Falcons don’t have a winning season, it will be Fontenot who gets fired, not the head coach he hired over Bill Belichick.
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Mickey Loomis, New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have been in salary cap hell for several seasons. That just doesn’t happen in today’s era, but Mickey Loomis has found a way to pull off the unimaginable. There’s a reason why Sean Payton didn’t want to be in New Orleans anymore, and this team hasn’t been the same since.
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Ran Carthon, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans have been spiraling out of control as of late. While it wasn’t Ran Carthon who refused to pay AJ Brown, only to draft Treylon Burks, he was the one who pushed Mike Vrabel out. They spent roughly $300 million on various acquisitions this offseason. But, aside from Calvin Ridley, we’re not sure Tennessee added much elite talent. Did they add anyone who projects to be a top-10 player at their position? Maybe Lloyd Cushenberry, but that’s about it. Buying a team rarely works, and Carthon’s about to learn that the hard way.
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Trent Baalke, Jacksonville Jaguars
GMs rarely get a second chance in the NFL. Trent Baalke is different. But his second chance hasn’t gone better than his first, which came with the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-16. Trevor Lawrence was an obvious choice as the first pick, but Baalke has failed to supply the Jaguars’ franchise quarterback with enough help. When it came time to pick a diamond in the rough, he made Travon Walker the first overall pick. Walker had a breakout season last year, but Aidan Hutchinson and Sauce Gardner look like they have a brighter future. Baalke’s Jags are in desperate need of a bounceback season.
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George Paton, Denver Broncos
What’s going on with the Denver Broncos? George Paton has made several questionable decisions. From hiring Nathaniel Hackett to pulling off a blockbuster trade for Russell Wilson, then pulling off a rare move by trading for Sean Payton, Paton’s moves just haven’t worked. If Bo Nix doesn’t flash star potential as a rookie, Paton’s days may be coming to an end in Denver.
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Tom Telesco, Las Vegas Raiders
Tom Telesco is another one who’s somehow lucked into getting a second chance to run an NFL team into the ground. He failed to maximize Justin Herbert’s potential. Now, the Las Vegas Raiders are heading into a season with no long-term QB plan. Telesco will need his 2024 draft class to produce a few gems to avoid a last-place finish in the AFC West, but if the Raiders don’t find a QB next season, he’ll end up with a hot seat heading into 2026.
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Joe Schoen, New York Giants
HBO’s Hard Knocks might have been a really bad career move for New York Giants GM Joe Schoen. During the very revealing behind-the-scenes access, we learned that Schoen doesn’t have a strong feel for the free agency market and even let arguably his best player join a division rival. He also wanted to move on from Daniel Jones just a year after giving him a four-year, $160 million contract. So, which is it, is Jones a franchise QB, or is he not? Not even the Giants GM can make up his mind. To try to save face, the Giants swung for the fences by trading for Brian Burns, but unless Malik Nabers can play superhero and save New York’s offense, Schoen should have one of the hottest GM seats in the NFL.
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