The NFL?”>Minnesota Vikings, who are looking for a new general manager, have asked the Philadelphia Eagles for permission to speak with Catherine Raiche, the team’s vice president of football operations.
Updated January 13
It was Adam Schefter, a journalist with the American network ESPN, who reported the news on Twitter early Thursday morning. They also asked to be able to speak to Brandon Brown, colleague of Raîche and director of player personnel at the Eagles.
The 33-year-old Quebecer has held this position with the Eagles since last year, but she still has quite a background in the world of football.
A lawyer by training, she joined the Eagles in 2019 as coordinator of football operations and player personnel.
Previously, she worked in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes, from 2015 to 2017. First as an intern, then as coordinator of football administration, then as assistant general manager.
In 2018, she was hired by the Toronto Argonauts as Director of Administration.
Then, in 2019, before landing in the NFL, she made a stint in the XFL, in Tampa Bay, as director of football operations.
Now she is considered for one of the most prestigious positions in the NFL.
The Vikings fired head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman on Monday after eight seasons in office.
“She has everything you need”
Jim Popp, general manager of the Alouettes in 2014, was the first to give Catherine Raîche her first chance in the world of football. He was the one who offered her the position of administrative coordinator after she had been an intern for three weeks.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jim Popp
The 57-year-old is now part of the Alabama States Hornets coaching staff in the NCAA. Interviewed on the show The Return of the Sportsmen at 91.9 Sports, Thursday evening, he was quick to praise his former protege.
“It is fully deserved, he first mentioned. She is an outstanding candidate. She learns quickly, is extraordinarily intelligent. He is also a nice person, with a nice personality. She is very goal oriented, always has been. It is a pleasure to work with her and she strives for excellence. »
“There wasn’t a task you gave her that she was afraid to do,” he added. That’s it, Katherine. She is not intimidated and she is ready to put in the effort to do well. »
Popp, who is still in regular contact with Raîche to this day, remembers talking with her about his ambitions to work in the NFL one day. The Quebecer had also joined him with the Toronto Argonauts, in 2017, after she had left the Alouettes. She negotiated the contracts, managed the salary cap and the budget.
According to the coach, Raîche has made her place over the years and proved what she can do in the world of football. She has, according to him, an excellent chance of getting the job with the Vikings.
“People want her to be part of their organization,” he said. If she gets an interview, I’m sure she’ll impress them. They will realize all that she can do and all that she knows compared to other candidates. »
If she is the Vikings’ choice, Raîche would become the first woman to serve as a general manager in the NFL.
“We have seen women landlords before. That’s how it should be. We have seen women presidents. And we’re going to see female general managers. It will take place in football and in other sports. And who better to do that than Catherine? I’d be the first to bet she’ll be the first woman to do it. »
“She has everything you need. She can do it,” Popp concluded.
