Virginia’s Loudoun County Today, Brandon Sosna was named senior vice president of football operations by the Washington Commanders.
Sosna spent the previous two years as an employee of the Detroit Lions before joining the Commanders. He was the senior director of football administration in Detroit. Sosna was in charge of strategy planning and pay cap management for Detroit in that capacity. In addition, he led the team’s contract negotiations.
Sonsa will report directly to Washington Commanders General Manager Adam Peters. In his role as senior vice president of football operations, Sosna will be the club’s lead contract negotiator, oversee a number of football operations departments, including analytics, health and performance and football administration and will be one of the club’s liaisons to the business operation. He will also play a major role in strategy around roster construction, the salary cap and the CBA.
“We are excited to welcome Brandon Sosna to the Washington Commanders,” Peters stated. “Brandon was a significant addition to Brad Holmes’ staff in 2022 and has been instrumental in helping the Lions assemble a competitive team for the last two seasons. His well-rounded skill set, honed during his unique career spanning the NFL and NCAA athletics, along with his expertise in contract negotiations and the wage cap, make him an excellent fit for the front office we are constructing here in Washington. I want to express my gratitude to the Detroit Lions organization, especially to President Rod Wood, who did an excellent job managing Brandon’s transfer to Washington. We are delighted to have Brandon join the DMV; he is a home run hire.”
After working as the University of Southern California’s executive senior assistant athletic director and chief of staff from 2019 to 21, Sosna joined the Lions. Sosna oversaw the department’s revenue-generating teams and external communications, administered the football program administratively, and led the department’s contract negotiations while he was employed at USC. He also oversaw the day-to-day operations of the entire athletics program. In the 2022 offseason, Sosna was recognized as the “architect” of USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s hiring process, contributing to the modernization of the USC athletics department. Additionally, he was instrumental in the university’s transition to the Big Ten Conference.
Sosna attended the University of Cincinnati for two terms before spending three years at USC (2013–17, 2019). After serving the university in a number of roles, he was appointed chief of staff for the sports department in 2016. He was instrumental in acquiring head coach Luke Fickell, who brought Cincinnati to national prominence, as the program’s chief of staff. 2019 saw Sosna return to Cincinnati in the capacity of chief revenue officer and senior associate athletic director. The athletics department broke attendance and ticket sales records while he was in charge.
In 2017, Sosna began his NFL career as an intern in football administration with the Cleveland Browns, a position he held until being promoted to salary cap and contract analyst in 2018.
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Sosna earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Pennsylvania.
Sosna was included on the Sports Business Journal’s “New Voices Under 30” list in 2019 and Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list in 2020. In 2017, he was also honored with the Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award.
