Women are rising up the ranks throughout professional football, earning positions of power in a space that for too long was ruled almost exclusively by men. We're seeing more and more women breaking barriers in the sport, but what are the stories beyond the headlines? Who are the women shaping and influencing the NFL today? Answering those questions is the aim of the Next Woman Up series. While the conversational Q&As are edited and condensed for clarity, this is a forum for impactful women to share experiences in their own words. Without further ado, we introduce:
Ellie Perrigo, Kansas City Chiefs
Position: Player Personnel Assistant
Have you always been a football fan? And how did you get your start in a career in football?
I have always been a football fan. I was just looking at a picture from about 2006 and I had a prayer journal that I had to write in for school. I wrote, "I had fun at the football game today." I grew up watching the Carolina Panthers with my dad. He was a big advocate of the sport and I played football growing up, too. It was a casual watch. Once I got to high school, that's when I realized I wanted to work in sports, specifically football. No one in my family works in sports, but I can't sit still and it seemed like something that was never the same day to day. I thought I wanted to be a sideline reporter, but when I got in front of the camera doing a sports show in college at the University of Miami, I was like, yeah, never mind. This is not for me. But in doing that, I met a lot of really good people and networked while I was there. But when the Super Bowl came to Miami in the 2019 season, one of the producers at ESPN, who I had known because we worked together for one semester in college, texted me to ask if I wanted to work the Super Bowl. I had no idea what I was signing up for, but I said yes without hesitation. I ended up being a local runner for ESPN. I showed up at some hotel in South Beach, and they handed me some keys and said, "Go get Lisa Salters." It ended up being the best weekend ever, and everything kind of snowballed from there.
I worked a little bit for ESPN throughout college on Monday Night Football games, one more Super Bowl and the NFL draft. I did that while also working for the university's athletic department, along with random internships.
I saw you held several internships with the Chiefs before earning a full-time role. How did that process play out?
Going into my senior year of college, I ended up getting an internship with the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp, working with their events team. I kept in touch with the director of events throughout my senior year, so when I applied for the seasonal position with the events team, I got it right after graduation. During that seasonal job, I got connected with our general manager, Brett Veach, and met with him during training camp because I was interested in eventually transitioning to the football side of the business. He told me I could come into meetings, watch film, and that the draft room was always open for me to learn. So I would go before my shift with the events team, watch film and write reports.
Once that position finished in the spring, I took a job with the Kansas City Current women's soccer team as a player care coordinator. I told our GM about the job and about two months into working with the Current, I got a call from our now assistant GM Mike Bradway. He told me they wanted to have me come to training camp if I was interested. I didn't want to be one foot in and one foot out at my current job, so I asked Bradway if there would be any chance I could stay on as a fellow and work because that's what I really wanted. So I ended up quitting my full-time job and came back as the Norma Hunt Player Personnel Fellow in July of 2023. They kept me on for the season and hired me full time the next summer.
What does your current role entail?
During my first year with the Chiefs as a fellow, I was given a list of college players to watch throughout the week, and Bradway would sit with me every Friday and we'd go through what I saw. This year, I had four schools and watched the players who were of a certain level. I had to watch those players and write reports by a certain deadline.
But I do a little bit of everything and help with pro and college personnel departments, maintaining depth charts, printing tags, taking players around when they come in for visits, things like that. During Top 30 visits in the spring, I'll be with the prospects all day and write a character report, ranking them based on that character and how I think they would fit on our team.
During training camp, I watch practice and try to keep a mental note of each position and our player rankings, just so I have a good feel for our whole roster. Then there is one position I'm responsible for, and I'll get a stack of names to rank throughout camp. On top of that, I help with our interns and fellows, serving as a resource for them.
From getting your start as a runner to working in events and now in personnel, what has the transition been like?
Honestly, that was one of my favorite things. Working on the business side sort of felt like a regular 9 to 5 job to me. Now I feel like I have some skin in the game based on what I do on a day-to-day basis. What I do may not directly impact a play, but it's a small part of it. I find that rewarding, and it's another part that has made me realize this is where I'm supposed to be. This transition felt natural to me.
That's great. And what would you say is the most challenging part of your position?
I think it's trusting myself but also being able to adjust on the fly. You can have a plan for the day and that can change within five minutes of being in the office if there's a player visit or if something else comes up. That said, you still have to get that other work done, so I might have to take my computer with me to watch film or finish my admin duties while I'm waiting for a player to get his physical done. I get to wear a lot of different hats, but I have to remember to stay detailed even when there is a sense of urgency. Finding that balance is important.
Do you have any long-term goals as far as your career in personnel? If so, what are they?
Yes. I eventually want to be an area scout and work on the college side. Being able to go on the road and evaluate players is challenging because there are a lot of questions: Does the player fit on our team? Why doesn't he fit? Is his personality and physical makeup good for our roster? So yeah, I think that's my next goal. When I first started, I didn't know how to write a report. Now I feel confident enough to do them, but I'm also trying to improve every day so when the time comes, I'm ready to be out on the road as an area scout.
Before you start your third season with the Chiefs, what has been your favorite moment so far?
Obviously, winning the Super Bowl was great, but there's another moment for me from last fall. I was writing reports on some college players, and there was this player, Western Michigan cornerback Bilhal Kone, whose skill set I really liked. I didn't know what grades he was getting from other scouts, but I put my grade on him, hit send and shut my computer. I went into Bradway's office and told him about this player who I liked and that I'd be surprised if he didn't get a Senior Bowl invite. Fast forward to December, I got a text from Veach one day saying he liked Kone with a link that said Kone got an invite to the Senior Bowl.
I felt most accomplished in that moment not because of feedback I received from Veach and Bradway, but because I trusted my eyes and was confident about it, whether it was right or wrong. I feel like this was a pivotal moment for me in terms of growth in knowing where I started to where I am now, and their feedback reassured me that I'm on the right track.
That is an awesome moment. Now, let's turn to mentorship. Do you have any mentors, and what advice have you received from them?
I've been fortunate to have people in my corner each step of the way, whether that has been a member of my immediate family, my peers and professors at Miami, the family I made at ESPN or my coworkers with the Chiefs, who I lean on all the time. This building is so special, and I feel like I can truly go to anyone for advice or guidance. Despite all of the unprecedented success over the last five-plus years, everyone is still humble and hungry, and they are the hardest working people I've ever met. It pushes me to be better every single day, and it's taught me what leadership looks like. My favorite question that I get is, "What's it like in the building on Monday after a loss?" I tell people it's the same as it is after a win. No one gets too high or too low, and we move on to the next week. There's not that stepping-on-egg-shells feeling. I know that's not exactly advice, but it's something I've taken from working here.
What advice do you have for other women looking to get into a career in football?
Don't feel like you need to know everything right now. If you're a hard worker and have a positive attitude, you can succeed. If you are passionate about something, don't let the unknown stop you from pursuing it. You can be successful if you are willing to put in the work. It doesn't happen overnight but you can have success in this business eventually.
Lastly, what are you most proud of?
Taking a bet on myself. I quit a full-time job to come back to an internship where nothing was certain. There was a chance that I could earn something long-term, but it wasn't guaranteed. I had people in my ear on both sides, but I followed my passion and dream. I took the leap of faith because I knew I could do it.
