The Carolina Panthers have their coach in Matt Rhule. They are in the market for a GM after firing Marty Hurney on Monday over “philosophical differences.”
#Panthers part ways with general manager Marty Hurneyhttps://t.co/ingC1Yjlq9
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 21, 2020
“You look at successful organizations, and there’s a certain alignment between the head coach and the GM,” owner David Tepper said. “To think that you can do that without some sort of alignment is nuts. So to not have a head coach with some input into that is stupid. I don’t want to be stupid, OK?
“I think sometimes you just need a restart, a refresh,” Tepper said. “We did it last year on the coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have been done before on the GM side. Maybe it should have been. I’m sure people may say that, or otherwise, on both sides.
“I think it’s just time, on both sides, to do that. It just seems like the right time to move forward.”
Hurney’s contract was up in June but he is out of the job immediately.
Tepper’s not just looking for a new GM. He’s looking for a way to build an entire football operation for years to come, to be something the Panthers have not been. In 26 years, they’re 199-214-1, and Tepper’s trying to steer them beyond the middle of the road.
“I’m trying to figure out what should be the right structure for an organization today,” he said. “Just because there’s been the same structure in the NFL forever in a lot of places doesn’t mean it should be the same structure now.”
Q: Are you concerned about the perception that Rhule is in charge of things now?
Tepper: “Matt Rhule does not want to run that show. He has a lot to do with running the football team and doing what he does. I don’t think there will be too much of a difference than what it is right now.”
The Panthers are 4-10 in a year that has seen them have star running back Christian McCaffrey miss all but three games due to multiple injuries.