Catherine Raiche has been a trailblazer in the CFL and NFL and is expected to be named Browns assistant GM.
Browns intend to hire NFL trailblazer Catherine Raiche for high-ranking football position
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
Post-draft is the time of year NFL teams make changes in their front offices, and the Browns are on the verge of making a historic one.
According to a league source, Browns GM Andrew Berry is pursuing Catherine Raiche, vice president of football operations of the Philadelphia Eagles, for an undisclosed high-ranking position. Whatever the title, Raiche essentially could serve as Browns assistant general manager – the position previously held by Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Raiche is the highest-ranking female in a football executive position in the NFL. She was interviewed in January for the general manager job of the Minnesota Vikings. That position was filled, ironically, by Adofo-Mensah.
Raiche, 33, is a native of Montreal, Quebec, and has a background in law. But she has been on the fast track to crashing the gender barrier in NFL executive offices and has been a trailblazer since joining the Montreal Alouettes as an intern in 2015.
She soon was named coordinator of football administration by the club, making her the first woman personnel executive in the Canadian Football League in 37 years.
Raiche was later promoted to assistant general manager of the Alouettes, then moved on to the Toronto Argonauts as director of football administration. From there she followed Toronto coach Marc Trestman – the 1980s-era Browns offensive coordinator – to Tampa Bay of the ill-fated XFL.
Raiche’s NFL breakthrough came in 2019 when Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman named her football operations coordinator. That same year, Berry left the Browns to join Roseman as vice president of football operations.
Berry left the Eagles after one season to return as GM of the Browns. In Philadelphia, Raiche was promoted in 2021 to Berry’s former position.
According to her bio on the official Philadelphia Eagles Website, Raiche was involved “in all areas of football operations and player personnel, including pro and college scouting, contract management, player/staff development, and football research.”
There has been only one female general manager in the history of the NFL. She was Susan Tose Spencer, who was named Eagles GM in 1983 by the owner of the team, her father Leonard Tose.
The Browns broke the gender barrier in coaching when Kevin Stefanski named Callie Brownson chief of staff in 2020. Brownson was given additional duties as assistant receivers coach this year.
Raiche would be the first woman to hold a prominent position in football operations with the Browns.
