Ravens' Joe Hortiz a strong candidate for Giants' GM job
Ravens first-round draft pick Marquise Brown, center, stands with head coach John Harbaugh, left, Executive Vice President/General Manager Eric DeCosta, right center, and Scouting Director Joe Hortiz on April 26, 2019, in Owings Mills, Md. Credit: AP/Gail Burton
If the Giants are looking for a general manager with vision, they can do a lot worse than to hire someone who hails from the Ravens’ famous "20/20 Club." On Saturday, they interviewed a candidate with such credentials.
Joe Hortiz, 46, the Ravens’ director of player personnel, was the seventh potential general manager to speak virtually with Giants ownership regarding the week-old vacancy and one of the most compelling. He has worked for the same team for nearly a quarter century, rising within the organization from a personnel assistant in 1998 to one of the top executives in the organization.
Although Hortiz is regarded by many to be among the keenest evaluators in the league, his 20/20 Club pedigree has nothing to do with his eyesight. It stems from his inclusion in a group of young, eager front office workers who have been groomed under former general manager Ozzie Newsome and current general manager Eric DeCosta. The term comes from them being hired in their 20s for meager salaries ($20,000 per year). DeCosta himself began in such fashion with the Ravens in 1996.
During Hortiz’s tenure in Baltimore, the Ravens have been one of the most stable and consistent teams in the league, winning two Super Bowls (including one against the Giants) and making the postseason 13 times in the past 22 years. Although Hortiz is the only candidate whose current team did not make the playoffs this season, the Ravens’ ability to replenish their roster with very few lulls through the draft has long been admired from afar by the Giants.
Hortiz was the Ravens’ director of college scouting from 2009-18, overseeing the draft process before he was promoted to his current title. During that span the Ravens selected 14 Pro Bowlers. The Giants picked five during the same period.
The Giants have two more first-round interviews scheduled for Monday when they will meet with Adam Peters and Ran Carthon of the 49ers. After that they will begin in-person interviews with finalists for the job.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
