The Detroit Lions enlisted Ernie Accorsi to help them in their national search for a general manager that landed them Bob Quinn Friday night. The team is so happy with how that process played out they've decided to keep Accorsi on staff moving forward as a special advisor to team president Rod Wood.
"I also want to thank Ernie Accorsi for his assistance in this process," Wood said in a statement released Friday night after Quinn's hire became official.
"Ernie proved to be a tremendous resource and his experience and expertise were invaluable."
Accorsi was the general manager for the Baltimore Colts from 1982-83. He moved to Cleveland in 1985, where he served as general manager for seven seasons, helping take the Browns to five playoff appearances and an AFC Championship Game.
He joined the Giants in 1994 and served as an assistant to the general manager until he became general manager in 1998. The Giants made one Super Bowl appearance under Accorsi before he retired in 2007.
Like Detroit, the Carolina Panthers (2012) and Chicago Bears (2014) hired Accorsi as a consultant to help with their general manager searches.
"Ernie's reputation is impeccable," Wood said of Accorsi when he was hired in November to help the team with their GM search.
"Not only did he succeed as a general manager in the NFL, but his work as a consultant with teams like Chicago and Carolina is well documented."
Accorsi identified Quinn as a candidate to the Ford family and Wood early in the process.
Quinn, 39, joined the Patriots in 2000 as a player personnel assistant and has been with the organization ever since, climbing their ranks. He joined the team the same year as Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, becoming a trusted advisor.
Quinn worked as both a pro and college scout, and was the assistant director of pro personnel for three years before being promoted to director of pro scouting in 2012.
The Lions will officially announce him as executive vice president and general manager in a press conference early this week.
