Tag: Scott Fitterer

Bears GM Ryan Poles reveals hardships of being rejected by Panthers in 2021

Bears GM Ryan Poles was passed up by the Panthers in 2021. He recently called it one of the hardest moments he’s had to deal with.

If you’re a Carolina Panthers fan who has read the title of this post and still clicked into it, then perhaps you’re a glutton for punishment. But if that’s not your thing, you may want to avert your eyes and ears.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles was featured on the latest episode of the Excellent Leadership Podcast, hosted by Chad Biagini. While discussing Poles’ journey in the NFL, Biagini asked the 38-year-old about facing rejection on the path to his current position.

Poles referred back to 2021, when he was actually a top candidate for Carolina’s general manager job. The Panthers, obviously, went in another direction—a decision that stung Poles quite a bit . . .

Carolina, instead, opted for Seattle Seahawks vice president of football operations Scott Fitterer. Poles, the executive director of player personnel for the Kansas City Chiefs at the time, would eventually be hired by Chicago.

And, ironically enough, Poles and Fitterer would go on to do some heavy business down the line.

In May of 2023, Poles and the Bears traded away that year’s No. 1 overall pick to Fitterer and the Panthers in exchange for a king’s ransom. The Panthers—for what became the draft rights to Alabama quarterback Bryce Young—shipped off two first-round picks, two second-round picks and star wideout DJ Moore.

The deal has proved to be a massive boon to the Bears, one of the league’s fastest-rising teams. Chicago got a career year out of Moore in 2023, a couple of keepers in offensive tackle Darnell Wright and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and the No. 1 overall pick of the very next draft—quarterback Caleb Williams.

Oh, and they still have to collect on a 2025 second-round pick, which will likely end up as a pretty high one.

Conversely, the trade has yet to work out for Carolina—who relinquished a bevy of resources into that top selection. Since then, the Panthers have gone 2-16 while Young has passed for 178.7 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

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Panthers’ release of Terrace Marshall Jr. highlights Scott Fitterer’s poor draft record

Tuesday’s cut of Terrace Marshall Jr. proved to be yet another strike for the Panthers’ previous regime.

Although it wasn’t a complete shocker, Tuesday’s cut of wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. certainly turned a few heads. While the former second-round pick has yet to blossom into the player the Carolina Panthers selected him to be, there’s little doubt that the talented 24-year-old has the potential to make an impact in the NFL.

But unfortunately, at least for this particular franchise, the move shines an even brighter light on just how poorly the previous regime built their draft record.

That record came courtesy of former general manager Scott Fitterer, who was fired in January after a three-year run in Charlotte. And even though his somewhat gung-ho nature and “in on every deal” approach excited the fan base at times, Fitterer’s work—particularly in the draft—fell quite short.

While the jury remains out on some of Fitterer’s picks such as left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, quarterback Bryce Young and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, it’s difficult to find any pattern of success in Carolina’s draft process over his tenure. Fitterer’s first draft in 2021 was clearly his best—with cornerback Jaycee Horn, running back Chuba Hubbard, tight end Tommy Tremble and offensive lineman Brady Christensen still holding onto roster spots.

Far more common in the Fitterer era, however, were selections like quarterback Matt Corral, linebacker Brandon Smith and Marshall. Both Corral and Smith were aggressively traded up for in 2022 and are already off the roster.

Fitterer also led the charges to trade up for the likes of Young and outside linebacker DJ Johnson in 2023. And, once again, the moves failed to pay off for the Panthers—at least right away.

When it comes down to it, it’s fair to say Fitterer was not able to land a single “superstar” player in his three drafts as Carolina’s shot caller. There is still hopes for Horn, but that’s as long as he staves off his already extensive injury history.

Hopefully, this trend can be quickly dispatched by Fitterer’s successor and new general manager Dan Morgan, and perhaps some stars will finally start emerging in Carolina.

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Commanders hire former Panthers GM Scott Fitterer in personnel role

Adam Peters continues adding to his front office.

The Washington Commanders aren’t finished adding to new general manager Adam Peters’ restructured front office. On Monday, the Commanders hired former Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer as a personnel executive. Ben Standig of The Athletic first reported the move.

Fitterer is the latest addition to Washington’s front office. Peters first hired Lance Newmark away from the Detroit Lions as the new assistant general manager, and followed by adding Brandon Sosna, David Blackburn, Chris White and others.

Fitterer spent 20 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks in various roles, including as the vice president of player personnel in 2020. The Panthers hired Fitterer as GM in 2021. Unfortunately, Carolina was a mess under Fitterer, but that was hardly his fault. Owner David Tepper has quickly earned a reputation as a meddlesome owner, much like former Washington owner Daniel Snyder.

In 2021, the Panthers spent a first-round pick on South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn. Horn has been good but has battled multiple injuries. In 2022, the Panthers traded for the No. 1 overall pick, which they used on quarterback Bryce Young — a Tepper decision.

Thanks to the trade for Young, the Panthers did not have a first-round pick in 2024.

Fitterer joins Marty Hurney as ex-Carolina GMs in Washington’s front office. Hurney is now an advisor under Peters. Fitterer, Hurney and Martin Mayhew are all former NFL general managers in Washington’s front office reporting to Peters.

Former Panthers GM Scott Fitterer lands new job with Commanders

Ex-Panthers GM Scott Fitterer is heading to the nation’s capital.

Are the Washington Commanders now in on every deal?

As first reported by Ben Standig of The Athletic on Monday morning, the Commanders are hiring former Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer to their front office. Per Standig, Fitterer will serve as a personnel executive under the organization’s first-year general manager Adam Peters.

Before heading Carolina’s front office, Fitterer spent two decades working behind the scenes for the Seattle Seahawks. The Seattle native served as an area scout from 2001 to 2010, the director of college scouting from 2011 to 2014, the co-director of player personnel from 2015 to 2019 and the vice president of football operations in 2020.

Fitterer would then officially land the Panthers’ general-manager gig on Jan. 14, 2021. His three-year tenure included an exodus of top-tier talent—as the team failed to hold on to the likes of running Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver DJ Moore, outside linebacker Haason Reddick and cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

The Panthers, who went combined 14-37 since his hiring, fired Fitterer following the 2023 campaign.

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Panthers reportedly request interview with Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby

Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Panthers have requested to speak with Eagles assistant GM Alec Halaby.

The Carolina Panthers have gone to work on Black Monday.

After parting ways with general manager Scott Fitterer, the team not only signed 14 players to new deals this afternoon, but they also reportedly started on interview requests.

They began their search for their front office’s new shot-caller with a trio of names. As reported by league insiders Peter Schrager and Tom Pelissero, the feelers have been sent out for Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg, New York Giants assistant general manager Brandon Brown and Kansas City Chiefs vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis.

A fourth name would then emerge, courtesy of NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport tweeted that the Panthers have requested to speak with Philadelphia Eagles assistant general manager Alec Halaby.

Halaby has been with the Eagles for the last 16 seasons. Before being named to his current post in 2022, the Harvard University graduate spent six years as the team’s vice president of football operations and strategy.

His emphasis on analytics, which helped build an NFC championship roster last season, may be valued by Panthers owner David Tepper.

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Panthers request to interview Bucs assistant GM Mike Greenberg

The Carolina Panthers have requested to interview Tampa Bay’s salary cap wizard for their new General Manager opening.

The Carolina Panthers requested permission to interview Buccaneers assistant general manager Mike Greenberg on Monday afternoon.

Greenberg has been with the Bucs’ front office for 14 seasons and was promoted to Assistant General Manager before the start of the season on June 29. He spent eight seasons with Tampa Bay as director of football administration, two seasons as the coordinator of football administration, and two seasons as the vice president of football administration.

Greenberg is responsible for strategic and financial planning and oversees budgeting for all football operations. He helped sign several notable free agents this past season like cornerback Jamel Dean, linebacker Lavonte David and quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Panthers are on the hunt for a new general manager after they fired Scott Fitterer Monday morning. Fitterer’s time in Carolina was short-lived and will be well known due to a series of poor decisions made by him and his staff.

The former general manager decided to trade up in the 2023 NFL Draft from pick No. 9 to No. 1 and selected quarterback Bryce Young. He gave the Chicago Bears two first-round picks, two second-round picks and wide receiver DJ Moore.

Young struggled significantly in his rookie season and threw for just 2,877 yards, 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Panthers finished the season with a 2-15 record.

Fitterer also dealt star running back Christian McCaffery to the San Francisco 49ers during the 2022 season for a trio of early-round picks in the upcoming NFL draft and a fifth-round pick in 2024. McCaffery produced more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns in 2023.

The Panthers made additional requests to interview Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown and Chiefs VP of football operations Brandt Tilis on Monday.

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Black Monday Tracker: Who’s been fired around the NFL so far

Here’s the full list of firings around the league so far.

The day after the end of the NFL’s regular season can be a harrowing one for front office personnel. Teams that underperformed during the year may see significant turnover on the coaching staff and everywhere else behind the scenes.

Already today we have gotten word that a couple coaches and at least one general manager have been fired. Here’s the full list of firings around the league so far.

Bears WR DJ Moore on Scott Fitterer’s firing: ‘I might’ve played a part in that’

DJ Moore reacted to Monday morning’s firing of Panthers GM Scott Fitterer.

The grass may indeed be greener on the other side for DJ Moore.

On Monday morning, the Carolina Panthers parted ways with general manager Scott Fitterer—putting a fairly swift end to a largely unsuccessful three-year run. And part of that three-year run included Fitterer’s trade of Moore, who had this say shortly after the news broke:

Moore was drafted to Carolina by their previous general manager Marty Hurney in 2018. The 24th overall selection went on to become the fourth-leading receiver in franchise history—amassing 364 catches for 5,201 yards and 21 touchdowns over five seasons.

After that fifth year, Moore was included in Fitterer’s huge gamble to move atop the 2023 NFL draft. In exchange for what would be the rights to quarterback Bryce Young, the Panthers shipped off Moore, 2023’s ninth and 61st picks, 2024’s eventual first overall pick and a 2025 second-round pick to the Chicago Bears.

In his first season on the other side, Moore recorded career-highs in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364) and total touchdowns (nine).

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15 possible candidates to replace former Panthers GM Scott Fitterer

Who’s next in line to lead the Panthers’ front office? Here are 15 candidates that could replace Scott Fitterer.

The Carolina Panthers didn’t wait long to make a move after wrapping up the worst record in the history of a 17-game season.

On Monday, the team announced they have parted ways with general manager Scott Fitterer. The decision puts an end to a bumpy three-year run, one that resulted in an overall 14-37 record.

So, who’s next for owner David Tepper?

Here are 15 possible candidates for Carolina’s new opening:

Panthers fans react to firing of GM Scott Fitterer

Panthers fans are going to have to find another GM to bestow the laser eyes upon.

Well, now we can definitively say that we’ve seen the end of the laser eyes—at least for one man.

After three seasons, the Carolina Panthers have decided to part ways with general manager Scott Fitterer. Here’s how their fans are reacting to the “Black Monday” news: