Chargers Interviewing 4 Candidates for General Manager

After firing general manager A.J. Smith on Monday, San Diego Chargers team President Dean Spanos is reportedly planning to interview four candidates for the vacant position.

Chargers' director of player personel, Jimmy Raye, will be interviewed this week as a candidate to fill the vacancy, but the team has also received permission to talk to at least three other candidates. Those candidates are believed to be San Francisco 49ers director of player personel Tom Gamble, Atlanta Falcons director of player personel David Caldwell, and Arizona Cardinals vice president of player personel Steve Keim.

Gamble is in his 24th NFL season, and has experience in pro scouting, college scouting, NFL coaching and contract negotiations -- a track record which makes him an appealing candidate.

Caldwell has a background in scouting with the Colts, has worked closely with Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff in daily roster management and currently oversees the team's pro and college scouting departments.

Keim has been with Arizona for 14 years, and is currently an assistant in contract negotiations as well as coordinating the team's pro and college scouting departments.

The Chargers are believed to be placing primary importance on filling the vacant GM spot before beginning the search for a replacement for former head coach Norv Turner who was also fired on Monday.

This story originally appeared on SBNation.com.