Chiefs were expected to be meeting with Pioli
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
In beginning the search for a new general manager, Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt laid out the qualities he wanted in Carl Peterson’s successor: a shrewd talent evaluator, a strong leader, a good communicator, someone with experience in building a winning NFL team.
It seemed inevitable from that point that Hunt would have Scott Pioli, New England’s vice president for player personnel, on his search list. Hunt, along with interim president and general manager Denny Thum, were expected to interview Pioli on Monday for the vacancy.
Pioli, who turns 44 in March, has everything Hunt said he was looking for. With Pioli assisting coach Bill Belichick with personnel decisions over the last nine years, the Patriots played in four Super Bowls, winning three.
Pioli talked last week with the Cleveland Browns, who reportedly were putting on the full-court press, but Pioli hasn’t given them an answer, and the Browns have talked with other candidates as well.
Pioli’s interviews in the last week are the first he’s accepted since joining the Patriots in 2000. In the last few years, he had been granted permission to interview with two teams but declined both offers. In 2005, the Seattle Seahawks, despite having not formally interviewed Pioli, offered him a five-year, $15 million deal, which he turned down. He also declined a request to be interviewed by the New York Giants in January 2007.
Pioli began his NFL career in 1992 in Cleveland as a pro personnel assistant under Belichick.
It’s unclear how much interest Pioli would have in the Chiefs’ GM job without full control of the team. Hunt has already decided that the former duties of Peterson will be divided rather than giving all duties to his replacement. The new president will handle the team’s business operations; the new general manager will oversee the football side.
The Chiefs also have plans to speak with Tampa Bay pro personnel director Mark Dominik. A Lawrence native and Kansas graduate, Dominik, 37, has been with the Bucs in a variety of scouting capacities since 1995.
He has been the Buccaneers’ director of pro personnel for seven years, responsible for coordinating the recruiting and signing of free agents, while also monitoring NFL transactions, handling player tryouts and overseeing the scouting of all other pro football leagues.
He began his scouting career in 1994 with the Chiefs.
The Chiefs today will say their public goodbye to Peterson, whose 20 seasons as president and general manager ended when they concluded the regular season.
