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It was reported Monday that Seattle Seahawks co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner will be interviewing for the Detroit Lions general manager position. Kirchner has emerged as the third candidate for the position, along with New England Patriots director of pro scouting Bob Quinn and current interim general manager Sheldon White. Here's a deeper look at Kirchner's career:
His resume:
Kirchner started his NFL career right out of college with several internships for different NFL franchises, including the Redskins, Chiefs, Seahawks and even a Major League Baseball franchise in the Minnesota Twins.
After bouncing around, Kirchner found a home in Carolina, acting as pro scout for the Panthers from 2002-2009. As a pro scout, he was responsible for scouting the waiver wire and free agent lists, among other things.
In 2010, he jumped ship for the assistant director of pro personnel position with the Seattle Seahawks. After three years at the position, the assistant label was knocked off, and in 2015, he was named the co-director of player personnel.
Career accolades:
As a major scout for the Carolina Panthers, Kirchner was part of the reason for the big turnaround. During his time in Carolina, the Panthers went 71-57 and never won fewer than seven games in a season. The season after he left, Carolina went 2-14. Carolina also went to a Super Bowl during his reign.
Success followed him to Seattle, when he joined newly hired head coach Pete Carroll in 2010. Mostly concerned with the NFL side of the business for his first few year, Kirchner was influential in bringing in such free agents as Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, and also helped facilitate the trade for Marshawn Lynch. He has had only one draft as an employee on the player personnel side of the business.
Pros:
Kirchner not only has a lot of experience, but he has it in all the right places. Although most of his experience surrounds seeking free agents and professional rosters, he now has dipped his toe in the college scouting game with his new promotion to the player personnel department.
Additionally, success has followed Kirchner where ever he has gone, which may or may not be a coincidence. Either way, he has been to the Super Bowl with two different franchises and even has himself a ring.
Cons:
Kirchner doesn't have experience as a GM and his experience on the college side of scouting is limited. When plucking someone from successful franchises, one must be weary if the candidate they seek is responsible for the success or just along for the ride. With Kirchner, it's not clear.
Overall:
The fact that Kirchner has been in a successful organization is either extremely lucky or not a coincidence. However, he joined two franchises that were struggling and the teams almost immediately turned things around upon his arrival.
The New York Jets interviewed Kirchner for their general manager opening in 2015, so his consideration for the job is nothing new. Now that he has locked in an interview with the Lions, he may be looking to help turn around a third franchise in his young career.