Bears interview Chargers’ Raye for GM post

San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye III on Tuesday became the second candidate to interview for the Bears’ general manager job.

Raye, 43, followed Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht, who interviewed Monday. Kansas City Chiefs director of college scouting Phil Emery and New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross are expected to interview later in the week. Bears director of player personnel Tim Ruskell is also a candidate to succeed Jerry Angelo, who was fired on Jan. 3 after 11 years on the job.

Raye currently oversees the Chargers’ professional and college scouting departments and assists on player personnel matters. He joined the team in 1996 and spent four years (1996-99) as a scout and eight (2000-07) as director of college scouting before being promoted to his current position.

Raye’s father, Jimmy Raye II, played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1969 and spent 34 years as an NFL assistant coach, most recently with the San Francisco 49ers in 2010.

The younger Raye was a wide receiver at San Diego State (1986-90) and had a brief NFL career as a player. He spent the 1991 season on the Los Angeles Rams’ roster and was in training camp with the Chargers in 1992 and the Houston Oilers in 1993.

Raye spent the 1994 season as a wide receivers coach at Irvine High School, worked for Amsterdam of the World League in April 1995 and then spent the NFL season as an offensive assistant-quality control coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Although A.J. Smith, San Diego’s general manager, has final say on draft day, Raye has been heavily involved as director of player personnel since 2008 and as director of college scouting from 2001-07.

The past three drafts have supplied the Chargers with seven starters and seven backups, plus two players who ended the 2011 season on injured reserve. By comparison, the Bears’ past three drafts have also brought them seven starters, but only if you count Gabe Carimi, Chris Conte and Johnny Knox, all of whom finished the season on injured reserve. Four Bears backups have arrived via the previous three drafts.