Former Chargers GM A.J. Smith join Raiders front office

Chargers fans may remember the name A.J. Smith. Smith was a part-time scout, full-time scout, assistant director of scouting, director of scouting and assistant general manager before being promoted to his position with the Chargers. Smith took over in 2003 and the Chargers did not have a losing record until 2012, when they went 7-9. That’s pretty good.

According to the Athletic, Smith will join Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock in some capacity in the front office. That’s interesting. Time will tell what Smith’s role will be and how hands on he will be. At one point, former Colts GM Ryan Grigson was supposed to join the staff as well. That appears unlikely, according to the article. How do Chargers fans feel about this? Happy, or a little worried that Smith and Mayock are able to lead the Raiders back to a promising franchise? This can go a couple of ways. You’ll remember  Larry English, Buster Davis, Antone Cason, and selecting Ryan Mathews. Or you’ll remember how he assembled some of the most talented teams in the late 2000’s.