Jim Harbaugh was the first hire.

But the Bolts made an equally important decision one year ago today when they brought on Joe Hortiz as the new Chargers General Manager.

Here's a look back at Hortiz's first year in powder blue and where the Chargers are headed from here.

Why was Hortiz the hire?

Hortiz had been up for other GM jobs around the league, but he knew it would take the perfect fit for him to leave Baltimore.

But once the Chargers came calling, Hortiz knew it was his time to shine.

Of course, it helped what he spent nearly two decades with Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh and was going to be teaming with Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles.

"As Jim [Harbaugh] mentioned, it's team, team, team," Hortiz said upon being hired. "I believe in that philosophy. I've lived that for 26 years in Baltimore. That's what we're going to do here."

Hortiz rose up the scouting ranks in Baltimore, eventually serving as the Ravens Director of Player Personnel for the previous five seasons.

A well-respected scout and football mind across the league, the Chargers felt Hortiz was the perfect fit to complement Harbaugh as the two assumed Batman and Robin roles.

During the offseason, Hortiz would take the lead while Harbaugh led the charge during the season.

John Spanos, the Chargers President of Football Operations, explained why Hortiz was the right man for the Bolts.

"I feel like Joe was kind of born to do this job. He has a really high-passion for football. That really came out," Spanos said at Hortiz's introductory press conference. "Impressive knowledge of the game. He's been evaluating players, really, a long time.

"Throughout the process, he shared with us his vision and philosophy on team building," Spanos added. "A lot of it is rooted in the draft, but I think, what also presented itself is that Joe has a progressive view on team building in regard to factoring in salary cap ramifications, the use of analytics. Taking all of those things into account, we felt that Joe was the perfect person for this job."

What happened in Year 1?

Hortiz was faced with a stuff challenge right away after becoming the new Chargers General Manager.

With the Bolts more than $20 million over the 2024 salary cap, Hortiz and his staff had to get creative with how they were going to make the numbers work in free agency.

Some moves — trading Keenan Allen and releasing Mike Williams — were painful but necessary. Hortiz also worked with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa as they both restructured their contracts.

Then, with limited dollars to spend, Hortiz attacked free agency with a diligent and measured approach, signing key players such as Poona Ford, J.K. Dobbins, Kristian Fulton, Bradley Bozeman and others to 1-year deals.

Hortiz joked in April that while he wasn't sleeping as much as previous years, he was all in on his new role.

"You don't sleep as much as you did in the past because something pops in your head and you start thinking, early in the morning, and you're rolling," Hortiz said. "I'd say the process itself has been great. I've enjoyed everyone's involvement; coaches, scouts.

"I think everyone's done a great job. It feels a lot like it's been in the past for me," Hortiz said. "I think everyone in the building, in the organization, has done a great job participating in it."

Hortiz then promptly crushed his first draft as the Chargers GM.

Joe Alt was the pick at No. 5 overall as the rookie tackle out of Notre Dame became a linchpin on the Bolts offensive line.

"I think I've said it from the beginning, when we started talking about the draft, that we're going to take the best player available for the Chargers, and that's what we did today," Hortiz said hours after drafting Alt.

Hortiz then traded up for Ladd McConkey in the second round as the wide receiver later set single-season rookie records in receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,149), besting Allen's 2013 marks.

Hortiz later struck gold in the fifth round by drafting a pair of cornerbacks — Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart — both of whom proved to be vital pieces on the league's No. 1 scoring defense in 2024.

Hortiz wasn't done yet, however, as he constantly churned the roster over in training camp and during the regular season, always looking for a way to give Harbaugh the best overall roster possible.

He traded for Taylor Heinicke and Elijah Molden in August and later signed Teair Tart off the street, with Molden and Tart each playing key roles on defense this past season.

"You do it through free agency. You do it pre-draft, post-draft in free agency," Hortiz explained. "You do those summer signings, the cap casualties. Things to do to protect comp picks and then, really, just churn the bottom of the roster.

"Always looking to get better. Always looking to improve every week," Hortiz added.

The end result? A roster constructed by Hortiz — along with Chargers Assistant General Manager Chad Alexander and the rest of the Bolts front office — won 11 games and made the playoffs.

What does the future hold?

As we celebrate Hortiz's 1-year anniversary in powder blue, it's fair to give him kudos for the exemplary job he did over the past 12 months.

Keep in mind that he navigated the past year all while being a first-time GM.

"Obviously, it's different being in this chair than the chair I used to sit in," Hortiz said at his season-ending press conference earlier this month. "In terms of working with Jim, it went better than expected. I knew it was going to be great, but it was a blast.

"This organization is great. The support from Dean and John [Spanos], awesome. It went better than expected. Taking what happened on the field out of it, I think I told you guys this … when you come into the role for the first time, it helps to have a head coach whose been a head coach," Hortiz continued. "That was a tremendous benefit for me, someone who has sat in that chair and helped me as a first-time GM. The communication with Coach has been awesome all year and has led to a lot of great decisions for our organization.

"I'm really proud of that and all the support I had from all the scouts — Chad [Alexander] and Lou [Clark] on then pro side — and then all of college side," Hortiz added. "It's been awesome. I came in thinking I was prepared but I didn't know how prepared I was."

But Hortiz was also quick to point out the work that lies ahead as the Bolts get ready for a busy offseason to build Version 2.0 under himself and Harbaugh.

The first order of business is assessing the 30 players who are slated to be free agents on March 12, a group that includes big names such as Mack, Dobbins and Ford.

And once the 2025 New League Year does begin, the Bolts are projected to have more than $60 million of salary cap space to try and improve the roster.

Not that Hortiz plans to spend it all in one place.

"You look at it from a responsible way just like we did last year," Hortiz said. "Last year we had less money to spend but we were responsible with our spending. I think you always stay responsible with your spending on the salary cap.

"There's a lot of things to balance. In the end, if you get reckless then you always pay the piper eventually," Hortiz added. "We're going to be responsible and clinical in our approach and there's going to be a plan for it. That's how we're going to roll."

When Hortiz was hired, he mentioned compensatory picks as a key way to constantly add to the roster-building process.

Keep that in mind as the Bolts decide who stays and who goes in free agency this offseason, as comp picks would then be awarded for the 2026 NFL Draft.

In terms of the 2025 NFL Draft, that is somehow just 84 days away.

The Bolts currently hold the 22nd overall pick and have seven total selections, a number could be boosted by any potential comp picks that are added to the docket later this spring.

Can Hortiz parlay an initial strong offseason into another one as the Bolts try to make a leap as AFC contenders?

He's certainly got a building full of believers at The Bolt, with Harbaugh leading the chorus.

"On a daily basis, there wasn't one day I wasn't excited and didn't recommit myself," Harbaugh said. "The thrill I had that I was going to be around our players, our coaches and that the day was always going to start with getting with Joe.

"Could not have a better general manager. His leadership style, the way he pulls out the best of everybody he associates with — coaches, players, staff, scouting and personnel department," Harbaugh added. "He's going to be humble and he's not going to take a deep long bow, but he deserves, too. He should. Great training, I get that. But you're special, Joe. You're incredible at what you do and we all have tremendous appreciation for you.