Chris Ballard could be hot commodity among teams with GM needs

As it happens every year, the winner (and loser) of this year's Super Bowl will likely find themselves picked apart in the offseason as assistant coaches and front office personnel jump at the chance to leverage their team's success for new opportunities and promotions. Since the Kansas City Chiefs are likely going to be sitting at home in January, you might expect the team's leadership to remain intact, but name should garner serious consideration for any general manager openings around the NFL.

Chris Ballard is the Chiefs Director of Player Personnel. He's been in the position since General Manager John Dorsey brought him into the organization from the Bears in 2013. This season is Ballard's 14th in the NFL, after previously spending 11 seasons as a regional scout with the Bears before becoming their Director of Pro Scouting in 2012.

Given that Jets GM John Idzik is a strong candidate to be replaced, it's an obvious talking point in New York to discuss potential replacements. ESPN's Rich Cimini identified Ballard as one of the candidates who could be interviewed by the team.

He'll be a hot commodity. Ballard is bright and personable, with a background in scouting and coaching. He spent 12 years in the Chicago Bears' organization before joining the Chiefs' front office in 2013. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came after him last year, but he withdrew from consideration because he wasn't going to have final say on personnel.

Ballard has been on a hot list for GMs before, including earlier this year when he was mentioned for the Jets opening once before.

These lists do not mean anything in the end. Cimini is, after all, a guy who has to write interesting things about a very uninteresting team. But Ballard's name is hot for a reason. His reputation has placed him on the radar for some time now as a potential GM candidate. It's likely only a matter of time before the Chiefs lose him.