A disputed report has surfaced that the Kansas City Chiefs are interested in ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick as John Dorsey’s replacement.
At this point, everything is a surprise. Ever since the Kansas City Chiefs fired General Manager John Dorsey on Friday, every bit of news continues to surprise fans and media members alike, including the latest report from Ian Rapoport that team owner Clark Hunt is interested in interviewing ESPN’s Louis Riddick to replace Dorsey.
The #Chiefs have reached out to ESPN analyst Louis Riddick to set up an interview for next week for their now-vacant GM job, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 25, 2017
Riddick, however, immediately dispelled the rumor by denying it outright via Twitter.
The Kansas City Chiefs have not contacted me and there is no interview set up for this week. Source? Me.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) June 25, 2017
What is most interesting about this exchange is where a solid NFL source like Ian Rapoport would get that information and why it would be floated if someone so connected like Riddick would so fervently and immediately deny it. Has Hunt simply not contacted Riddick yet? Is it only a matter of time? Or is this a random name being floated simply because, in the lack of actual news, names will be floated?
Riddick would be the second NFL media member connected to a potential GM opening this offseason after Washington was reportedly interested in Mike Mayock from the NFL Network for their opening after parting ways with Scot McCloughan. If the Chiefs are interested, it makes more sense than you might think, since Riddick is hardly just a talking head who happens to be good at his job.
Riddick spent several years working alongside Andy Reid in the Philadelphia Eagles front office and has well over a decade of executive experience in the NFL with both Philly and Washington. He was both a scout and Director of Pro Personnel for both teams and worked with Reid until he left for Kansas City in 2013.
Riddick is not the first name circulating for the role, although, depending on the quality of source, it could be the first external one mentioned. Internal options like Brett Veach and Mike Borgonzi have also been mentioned.