Jim Irsay made it clear that his journey to find a new General Manager would be extensive in nature. Today, we got some information that tells us who Irsay has his eye on.
According to a report from NFL.com, the Colts have asked the Ravens for permission to interview Eric DeCosta.
DeCosta (one of my personal favorites for the job) is among the upper echelon of talent evaluators in the NFL. As director of player personnel, he has been directly involved in bringing cornerstone players like Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Ray Rice to Baltimore, helping further establish the franchise as a perennial Super Bowl contender.
And DeCosta is certainly no stranger to having people look to him for the development of their future.
In early 2010, DeCosta was listed as one of the finalists to come away with the position in Seattle, but would later withdraw his name from the list. Ravens owner Steve Biscotti has also been nurturing DeCosta to be Ozzie Newsome's eventual successor.
If the Colts are serious about acquiring DeCosta, the Rams could be another potential suitor firmly standing in their way. With an envisioned franchise quarterback in place, more cap space, and the second overall pick in the draft, DeCosta will have to give strong consideration to a destination that should be intriguing to any executive on the market.
Along with DeCosta, Indy had enough interest to request a meeting with John Dorsey (Green Bay). However, Dorsey's name can officially be scratched off the list. Per Adam Schefter, Dorsey has declined the Colts' request.
That said, I wouldn't be too disappointed or worried. It's worth noting that Dorsey has been connected to the Packers organization for almost thirty years. Loyalty and the prospect of an in-house promotion are likely the main factors in his "dismissal" of the Colts.
Plus, the crown jewel of the market is thought to be another Green Bay executive -- Reggie McKenzie. The Colts' interest in McKenzie is floating around in Indy, according to Bob Kravitz. McKenzie has yet to be confirmed for an interview with the Colts though.
Tom Telesco, who is currently the Colts director of player personnel, is also in the running for the position, according to sources. Telesco was in Arizona on Monday scouting the Colts potential first round pick, Andrew Luck. However, in my opinion, I doubt that Telesco seriously has a shot at landing the big job. I do think that it's safe to assume that he will at least maintain his current position though.
Other potential names on the Colts list are Doug Whaley (Buffalo) and Tom Ciskowski (Dallas), as noted by Kravitz. Whaley previously worked for Pittsburgh and was promoted by the Bills to director of player personnel after only one year. Ciskowski has been a longtime talent evaluator and took over for Jeff Ireland when he left Dallas for the G.M. job in Miami.
Considering the amount of worthy candidates for this job, Irsay has his hands full.