Hot general manager candidate Louis Riddick is starting the rounds of external interviews with a chance to swipe one of the open general manager jobs.
The current ESPN Monday Night Football analyst is slated to interview for the Houston Texans GM job on Wednesday, and with the Detroit Lions on Friday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the situation.
The Texans announced Wednesday they had met with Riddick for an interview.
A former pro safety, Riddick played 94 games over six seasons before eventually moving to a front-office role.
Riddick got his start in Washington as a pro scout in 2001 before working up the ranks to director of pro personnel from 2005-2007. The former safety then moved to Philadelphia in 2008 and again worked his way from pro scout to become director of pro personnel with the Eagles from 2010-2013.
Since then, Riddick has worked as a broadcaster. He's garnered interest as a GM candidate the past couple of seasons and has become a hot target this hiring cycle.
In Houston, Riddick is a candidate to replace Bill O'Brien, who had both the coach and GM role before being fired after four games this season. The Texans boast a franchise signal-caller in Deshaun Watson but are without its first- and second-round picks this season due to the Laremy Tunsil trade.
With no previous GM experience, Riddick would be an intriguing choice for new Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp, who has expressed interest in not pairing an inexperienced GM and coach with her first significant hires.
Along with Riddick, Detroit plans to interview former Texans GM Rick Smith. That interview is expected to take place next week, per Rapoport.
Neither the Texans nor the Lions can interview any candidates currently under contract with one of the other 31 clubs.
With those restraints, Riddick and those not currently working for an NFL team can get a jump on the hiring cycle.
