Earlier this afternoon, Mike Garafolo reported that Washington was taking steps to hire its new cap expert, Brandon Sosna, on the heels of Rob Rogers leaving earlier this spring.
The #Commanders are working to hire #Lions exec Brandon Sosna for a high-ranking front-office role, sources say.
The fast-rising Sosna, 31, spent the last two years as Detroit’s senior director, football administration after a three-year stint as USC’s chief of staff. pic.twitter.com/s7tpADejbl
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) May 19, 2024
Sosna has been with the Lions since 2022, overlapping with Washington’s Assistant GM, Lance Newmark, for a couple of years in Detroit. Even in his short time there, he made a great impression on the Lions’ GM Brad Holmes.
Lions GM Brad Holmes, in March, on new #Commanders contract guy Brandon Sosna. He’s good. pic.twitter.com/ExSG3RW2lU
— Burgundy Blog (@BurgundyBlog) May 19, 2024
“It’s been really cool to see his growth in this role,” Holmes said Tuesday. “Last year was kind of his first free agency, and I thought he did a phenomenal job. This year, he knocked it out of the park again. Just with all these deals, me and (coach) Dan (Campbell) can communicate with him about these guys we’re targeting, but Sosna is getting those deals done, along with (chief operating officer) Mike Disner. As always, it’s a full collaboration, all hands on deck, and I truly believe this was our best free agency of all that we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
Sosna reports to Disner, who was elevated to his current football/business hybrid role shortly after Holmes and Campbell were hired in 2021. The newcomer, Sosna, has quickly built a reputation for his intelligence and work ethic, helping the Lions navigate the complexities of the NFL salary cap and taking advantage of many of the nuanced devices built into the CBA.
Prior to joining the Lions, Sosna worked with the football program at USC where he served as the Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director/Chief of Staff coordinating the group that hired Lincoln Riley.
According to the Lions’ website:
Sosna’s responsibilities at USC included managing the day-to-day operations across the entire athletics program, overseeing the department’s external communications and revenue generating teams, providing administrative oversight of the football program, and serving as athletics’ lead contract negotiator. Throughout his time at USC, Sosna engineered the reconstruction and modernization of the Trojan football program and athletics department. Additionally, he was credited as the “architect” of the hiring process for USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley in the 2022 offseason and played a critical role in USC’s move to the Big Ten Conference.
By several accounts, Sosna is very much a man whose star is ascendent. It would be excellent to have him make a mark in Washington, but he seems like someone who has “future GM” in his sites if he continues to impress.