Rod Graves
| Position: | Senior vice president of football operations |
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| Date of birth: | March 16, 1958 |
| Place of birth: | Houston, Texas |
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| College: | Texas Tech |
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Rod Graves (born March 16, 1959) is the former senior vice president of football administration for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He is best known for his time as general manager of the Arizona Cardinals. He had previously spent time with the Cardinals as Vice President of Football Operations, after being promoted to that position from Assistant to the President following the 2002 season.
A native of Houston, Graves began his career in professional football personnel work in 1982 as a regional scout for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League. It was then he first crossed paths with former Cardinals’ Head Coach Vince Tobin, the Stars’ defensive coordinator. In 1983, Graves was promoted to assistant director of player personnel.
He joined the National Football League in 1984 as a regional scout for the Chicago Bears, a position he held until promoted to director of college scouting in 1993, then director of player personnel in 1994.
During his tenure with the Bears, he worked for Bill Tobin, the team’s director of player personnel and older brother of former Cardinal head coach Vince Tobin, along with another former Cardinal head coach, Dave McGinnis, and running backs coach Johnny Roland.
Graves joined the Cardinals in June 1997 after 13 years in various personnel capacities with the Chicago Bears. He was promoted to assume responsibility for administration of the Cardinals’ scouting department in May 1998.
In his position as Arizona Cardinals General Manager, Graves was responsible for all facets of the Cardinals’ football operations. He served as the team’s primary contract negotiator in addition to overseeing college and professional scouting efforts, assisting salary-cap management, and consulting on other business aspects of the football operation.
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