Multiple reports have indicated that Chiefs director of pro personnel Chris Ballard has become the leading candidate to succeed Mark Dominik as the Tampa Bay General Manager.
But Ballard isn’t the only candidate. Per a league source, Falcons director of player personnel Lionel Vital will interview for the job.
Vital, who become the director of player personnel after Dave Caldwell was hired to be the General Manager in Jacksonville, has learned most recently under Falcons G.M. Thomas Dimitroff. Also during his 23 years of experience, Vital worked with men like Bill Belichick, Ozzie Newsome, and Scott Pioli.
If Vital gets the job, he’d become the third straight Falcons director of player personnel to land a General Manager position, following Caldwell in 2013 and Rams G.M. Les Snead in 2012.
During a Tuesday appearance on PFT Live, Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith declined to address whether his contract gives him final say over personnel, but Smith said he’ll be involved in the interviews for the G.M. position -- as he was in Chicago two years ago. He added that the team wants to find a G.M. “as soon as possible,” and that as of Tuesday the search had already started.
[Photo credit: Falcons.com]