A . J . Smith A . J . Smith ( born Albert J . Smith February 28 , 1949 ) is a professional American football executive with the Washington Redskins . Previously , he served as the executive vice president and general manager of the San Diego Chargers in the National Football League . Smith was a part - time scout , full - time scout , assistant director of scouting , director of scouting and assistant general manager before being promoted to his position with the Chargers . Education and early career . A . J . Smith is a graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick , Rhode Island where he was a standout on the [ football ] and track teams . He was inducted into the school ' s Hall of Fame in 2003 . Smith earned a degree in health and physical education from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 1971 . In 2005 Smith returned in order to attend a dedication in his honor , during which he received a plaque of commemoration which will be placed in the new A . J . Smith Weight Room inside the Woodward Health and Recreation Center . After graduating from college , Smith began his career in semi - professional football with the Attleboro Kings of the Eastern Football League as a wide receiver from 1972 to 1974 . Smith was given a tryout with the Washington Redskins in 1974 , but was never offered a professional contract . Smith was inducted into the American Football Association ' s Minor / Semi - Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 . Smith put his college degree to work between 1971 and 1985 , during which he taught physical education in the Providence ( R . I . ) junior high school system . San Diego Chargers . Smith was promoted to general manager after then - Chargers GM John Butler died of cancer in 2003 . He inherited a team that was 14 - 34 in its previous three seasons , and had not made the playoffs since 1995 . Smith directed the Chargers to five AFC West division titles and eight consecutive seasons without a losing record . San Diego ' s 7 – 9 record in in 2012 was their first losing season since Smith ' s first season in 2003 . Missing the playoffs for the third straight season , the Chargers fired Smith and head coach Norv Turner the day after the 2012 season ended . Over his tenure , Smith allowed Drew Brees , LaDainian Tomlinson , Darren Sproles , Michael Turner and Vincent Jackson to leave the Chargers without finding adequate replacements . The Chargers ' offensive line grew weak in 2012 . Quarterback Philip Rivers was frequently forced to scramble and was sacked 49 times , contributing to his 22 turnovers — 47 over the previous two seasons . Due to public perceptions that he brings an arrogant approach to contract dealings and that his strategies involve high - risk / high - reward , Smith has been both widely praised and criticized by fans and media . 2004 Draft . In April 2004 , a week prior to the NFL Draft ( in which the Chargers held the # 1 overall pick ) , University of Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning declared he would not play for the Chargers if drafted by them . Smith elected to ignore Manning ' s threats and select him # 1 without straying from his objective . Less than an hour later , Smith completed a trade with the New York Giants which sent Manning to New York in exchange for North Carolina State University quarterback Philip Rivers ( drafted 4th overall ) , as well as a 3rd - round pick in 2004 ( used to select kicker Nate Kaeding ) , a 1st round pick in 2005 , and a 5th round pick in 2005 . In 2005 , the Chargers used the first round pick acquired from the Giants to select Shawne Merriman 12th overall . Merriman went on to win the AP ' s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award . Manning went on to become the MVP of Super Bowl XLII & Super Bowl XLVI . Antonio Gates . Tight end Antonio Gates was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 and had emerged as an All - Pro tight end in 2004 while leading the Chargers to a 12 – 4 record . Prior to the 2005 season , Gates held out of training camp , seeking a long - term contract . Smith would eventually give Gates an ultimatum ; end the hold out by 12 : 30 PM on August 20 , or be placed on the Roster Exempt List . Gates failed to meet the deadline and as a result missed the team ' s first regular season game against the Dallas Cowboys which resulted in a 28 – 24 loss . Gates and Smith would eventually reach an accord and Gates was signed to a six - year , $ 24 million contract . Drew Brees . Quarterback Drew Brees suffered a torn labrum in the final game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos which immediately resulted in the reconsidering of signing Brees to a long - term contract . Many assumed the Chargers would offer Brees the franchise tag for the second consecutive year . However , with second - year quarterback Philip Rivers on the team , Smith elected to offer Brees a heavily incentive - based contract which Brees rejected . Subsequently , Smith allowed Brees to become a free agent much to the dismay of Charger fans who had considered Brees a fan favorite due to his work ethic and comeback story . Brees would eventually sign a 6 - year , $ 60 million deal with the New Orleans Saints on March 14 , 2006 . He went on to place 2nd in the voting for the NFL MVP the very next season with the Saints and was awarded the 2008 Offensive Player of the Year award . He became the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV The Chargers received no compensation from New Orleans for Brees , but were offered the first overall compensatory pick ( pick # 97 ) in the 2007 NFL Draft , spent on linebacker Anthony Waters who would coincidentally end up winning the Super Bowl with Brees in New Orleans . Michael Turner . Running back Michael Turner was drafted by the Chargers in the fifth round ( 154th overall ) of the 2004 NFL Draft . During the 2007 off season , Chargers General manager A . J . Smith stated that the Chargers would be willing to trade Turner in exchange for both a first and third round draft pick . However , one day after 2007 NFL Draft , Smith declared that Michael Turner would remain a Charger for the 2007 season . He would no longer be accepting trade offers from other NFL teams for Turner . On April 26 , 2007 , Turner signed the $ 2 . 35 million , one - year tender he received from the Chargers after becoming a restricted free agent . On March 2 , 2008 , the Atlanta Falcons signed the 26 - year old Turner to a six - year , $ 34 . 5 million contract with $ 15 million guaranteed . He finished the year with 1 , 699 yards ( a 4 . 5 ypc avg ) and 17 rushing touchdowns , which set a team record for touchdowns in a season . On December 16 , 2008 , Turner was named to the 2009 Pro Bowl . The Chargers received no compensation from Atlanta for Michael Turner , though the NFL gave the team two compensatory picks in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft for Turner and cornerback Drayton Florence . These picks were used to draft halfback Gartrell Johnson and offensive lineman Tyronne Green . Marty Schottenheimer . Smith had a contentious relationship with head coach Marty Schottenheimer , who was hired by his predecessor Butler just before he died , which ended with Schottenheimer ' s firing in February 2007 . Schottenheimer had the support of his players and a 14 – 2 regular season record , but neither of these were enough to save his job in the wake of a 3 - point loss to the Patriots in the playoffs . After initially stating that Schottenheimer would be retained as head coach after the playoff loss , Dean Spanos , the owner of the Chargers , changed his mind after losing offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips to head coaching positions at the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys , respectively . It was widely reported that Schottenheimer was fired for disobeying a direct order from both Smith and Spanos regarding interviewing his brother , Kurt Schottenheimer , for the Defensive Coordinator position vacated by Phillips . Publicly , Schottenheimer did not fault Dean Spanos for the decision . “ Dean had a very difficult decision to make , and I applaud him for it , ” Schottenheimer said . “ This is his football team . ” Smith was equally respectful when asked about the conflicts , saying “ Coach and I both want to win a world championship . We had different ways of approaching that . ” Eric Weddle . In the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft , Smith and the Chargers traded their second - round selection ( 62nd overall ) , their third - round selection ( 93rd overall ) , their fifth - round selection ( 167th overall ) , as well as their third rounder in 2008 to the Chicago Bears for their 2nd round pick ( 37th overall ) in order to draft University of Utah safety Eric Weddle . Antonio Cromartie . With the Charger ' s first round ( 19th overall ) pick of the 2006 NFL Draft , Smith and the Chargers selected cornerback Antonio Cromartie from Florida State . However , an ACL injury his junior year resulted in him missing that entire season . That year , Cromartie joined the draft and after he was selected by the Chargers , many criticized the selection . He was taken in the first round despite only starting one game his entire time at Florida State . However , in the 2007 season , the critics were silenced after Cromartie recorded an NFL leading 10 regular season interceptions as well as two in the post season , and was named All - Pro and selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team . But eyebrows were once again raised due to the subpar play of Cromartie his following seasons ( 2008 and 2009 ) . Washington Redskins . On March 6 , 2013 , the Redskins added Smith as a senior executive . Smith and Redskins general manager Bruce Allen were longtime friends , while Smith ’ s son , Kyle , was a Redskins scout . Family . A . J . Smith currently resides in Rancho Santa Fe along with his wife Susan . A . J . ' s son , Kyle , played wide receiver and punt returner for Youngstown State where he ranks 20th in school history with 1 , 054 yards on 64 career catches and was All - Gateway Conference honorable mention choice and the team ' s offensive MVP . Kyle was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings after the 2006 NFL Draft . Daughter Andrea graduated cum laude from Cortland State and was an AVCA All - America honorable mention outside hitter as well as Conference and Team MVP . She currently works in San Diego for the San Diego Padres as the Account Manager - Premium Seating Services .