Chiefs hire Green Bay’s John Dorsey as new GM
New general manager was Green Bay’s director of football, has ties to Reid.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs reached into Andy Reid’s past for their new general manager Saturday, hiring Green Bay director of football operations John Dorsey as their new general manager.
Dorsey will be formally introduced at a news conference on Monday at Arrowhead Stadium, exactly one week after the Chiefs introduced Reid as their new head coach.
Dorsey, 52, spent more than half of his life working for the Packers. He was a linebacker and special-teams player for Green Bay in the 1980s and returned as a college scout in 1991. He became their director of college scouting in 1998 and except for one season as Seattle’s personnel director in 1999, has been with the Packers ever since.
He became director of football operations only last year.
Reid was an assistant coach for the Packers during 1992-1998, and that’s where he met Dorsey.
With Dorsey helping to set their selection boards, the Packers have been one of the NFL’s best drafting teams. Green Bay found Pro Bowl players like quarterback Aaron Rodgers and linebacker Clay Matthews in the first round in recent years.
But some of the Packers’ best work has come in later rounds. Cornerback Casey Hayward, a second-round pick in 2012, was one of the league’s best rookies this season.
Other top players found by the Packers in later rounds of recent drafts have been wide receivers Greg Jennings, James Jones, Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson, tight end Jermichael Finley and offensive linemen Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang.
The Packers have drafted so well that in recent years they haven’t found it necessary to be active in free-agency.
Dorsey’s connection with Reid made Dorsey the favorite to be the new Chiefs general manager. The only other candidate known to have interviewed for the job is Ray Farmer, the Chiefs’ director of pro personnel.
The hiring of Dorsey completes the Chiefs’ change in direction from the administration of general manager Scott ***** and coach Romeo Crennel. After the Chiefs finished a 2-14 season that will give them the first pick in this year’s draft, the Chiefs fired Crennel and had a mutual parting of the ways with *****, their general manager for four seasons.
The Chiefs on Friday hired most of Reid’s coaching staff, which includes offensive coordinator Doug Pederson and defensive coordinator Bob Sutton.
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt has changed the structure of the organization. Both Dorsey and Reid will report to him directly. Formerly, the general manager reported to Hunt and the coach reported to the general manager.
Hunt has said the general manager would retain final say on personnel decisions.
Dorsey’s wife, Patricia A. Sexton-Dorsey, is an attorney with the Kansas City-based law firm Polsinelli-Shughart, although she works out of their De Pere, Wis., home. She has her bachelor’s degree from Kansas and law degree from Washburn University in Topeka.
Dorsey played in college at Connecticut. He was mainly a special-teams player for the Packers, and his 35 special-teams tackles in 1984 are still a single-season Green Bay record.
Dorsey’s playing career came to an end when he suffered a knee injury in pregame warm-ups of Green Bay’s 1989 season opener.