Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper earned his fortune off making numbers work. So, he’s trying to do the same in the NFL.
Head coach Frank Reich was featured on Thursday’s episode of NFL Players: Second Acts, a podcast hosted by former Panthers defensive backs Charles “Peanut” Tillman and Roman Harper. When asked about what has been a wild offseason, Reich credited owner David Tepper for making the right pushes at the right times.
“The big one was going to No. 1,” Reich said of the team’s bold moves. “But now, this free agency thing, Mr. Tepper just said, ‘Okay, let’s go. Let’s surround this guy with some playmakers.”
As Reich went on to note, the Panthers inked a handful of those proven playmakers. Whoever ends up under center will be working with some solid free-agent additions including running back Miles Sanders, wide receivers DJ Chark and Adam Thielen and tight end Hayden Hurst.
Tillman then cut in to ask if Tepper is “super involved” in bringing in particular players. Reich refuted that idea and went on to laud the billionaire for his skills with the bills.
“No,” Reich replied. “He’s looking and hearing everything. He’s, obviously, a brilliant guy—brilliant enough to know, hey, let Scott [Fitterer] and I handle that. But he’s involved in it. He wants to know. And, in particular, I think he’s involved in all the numbers and the cap and the contracts and how everything’s set up. I think he has his hands on all that.”
Well, thanks to Tepper—as well as, presumably, Fitterer and vice president of football administration Samir Suleiman—the Panthers have equipped their future quarterback with a strong supporting cast and still have the third-most salary cap space in the league.
Who would’ve known a massively successful hedge fund manager is good at making cents?
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