General managers are always in the spotlight in the NFL, but they have to deal with a lot of tasks and high expectations. ran presents the portfolio of a general manager.

Munich – For the majority of NFL teams the season is over and the preparation for the new season has already begun. For this, some teams have first made important personnel decisions in the past few days.

In addition to numerous new coaches, there were also some new general managers, such as Joe Schoen at the New York Giants.

For the new general managers and their colleagues, the coming weeks and months will be very busy. Because as GM, they are the most important people in every franchise when it comes to athletic planning.

This is because the General Manager is the highest position when it comes to the sport itself. He reports directly to the team owner and has the final veto power on all personnel decisions. General Managers are also responsible for the selection of the Head Coach.

General Managers in the NFL: Burden must be distributed on several shoulders

But the rest of the personnel staff and the scouting of college talent, as well as aligning the roster with the NFL’s salary cap, also fall under their purview.

A lot of tasks that, of course, cannot be handled by one person alone. Therefore, it is also the task of the general manager to distribute the various demands on several shoulders. Ultimately, however, the overall responsibility lies with him alone.

For some teams, for example the New England Patriots, there is no official GM. There, Coach Bill Belichick is not only coach but also “President of Football Operations”, so he acts in a dual role.

The situation is different with the Dallas Cowboys, where owner Jerry Jones is also the most important decision-maker with regard to athletic personnel.

But the pressure is enormous. So a GM is celebrated when the franchise manages a steal in the draft, even though it was probably the team’s scouts who did the main work. But if there’s a draft flop, the responsibility also falls on the general manager, who may then have to fear for his job.

Many coaches are a big challenge

Also, working with the coaching staff is not always easy, after all, coaching staffs in the NFL are not exactly small. There is not only the head coach, but also dozens of assistants. Of course, the general manager cannot build an equally good and close relationship with all coaches.

That’s why it’s especially important to have a close relationship with the head coach. Because the head coach is usually in the limelight and enjoys the greatest public esteem. And many a time, tensions between head coach and general manager have caused instability within a franchise.

But those who work successfully in the position of general manager for years have a relatively secure job, and at the same time new faces are allowed to prove themselves in the GM position year after year.

However, the expectations and the pressure on a GM must never be underestimated. The coming weeks and months will show that again.