NFL: Washington hires Chris Polian as director of pro personnel
The Washington Football Team has added a new piece to its front office. Washington has hired Chris Polian as its new director of pro personnel, the team announced Monday.
Polian is experienced in the NFL personnel realm; among his 24 years in the league, he was the Indianapolis Colts' general manager from 2009-11.
Polian's most recent employer was the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he served in the same role. Jacksonville fired him after the 2019 season.
Washington announced his hiring in a Monday release.
"Polian was most recently the director of pro personnel with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2013-2019," the release states. "He played a major factor in the team's free agency signings in 2017 of DE Calais Campbell, DT Malik Jackson and CB A.J. Bouye, who were all Pro Bowl selections during their tenures in Jacksonville.
"In that offseason, he also helped target S Barry Church, who along with Campbell, Jackson and Bouye helped anchor a defense that was ranked No. 2 in the NFL in 2017 and helped Jacksonville capture an AFC South title and appearance in the AFC Championship game."
Polian brings experience, pedigree to WFT
Polian is the son of Bill Polian, a former executive enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Polian boasts a strong resume, too; he was a personnel assistant with the Carolina Panthers before joining the Colts, first as director of pro scouting and then as assistant director of football operations.
He moved up the ranks with the Colts, also working as the team's assistant general manager/football operations and vice president of football operations before being named the team's general manager and vice president.
Polian literally followed in his father's footsteps, working with his father with the Panthers and then with the Colts.
Indianapolis fired Polian in 2011 after a 2-14 season. He then was a scout with the Atlanta Falcons before being hired by the Jaguars.
Polian was born in New York, graduating with a communication degree from John Carroll University in 1993. He and his wife have three children.
Polian and his father aren't the only family members involved in football, either; his brother, Brian, is Notre Dame University's special teams coordinator, and another brother, Dennis, is the University of Arizona's associate athletic director for football.
Polia is the third former general manager Washington has hired this season, as it also added former Detroit Lions general manager Martin Mayhew in the same role and former Panthers general manager Marty Hurney as senior vice president of player personnel.