Scott Fitterer has been fired

The other shoe has dropped

The Carolina Panthers have reportedly parted ways with former general manager Scott Fitterer. Finishing the season 2-15 was just the icing on the cake after years of poor drafting and a failure to “solve” the quarterback position, produced a roster that has proven noncompetitive in the NFC South, let alone the NFL.

Fitterer joined the Panthers from the Seattle Seahawks front office, where he was advertised as a key part in years of strong drafts and smart trades, including those that built the hallowed Legion of Boom. He promised in his opening press conference that he was going to be aggressive about obtaining talent and would be “in on every deal.” And make no mistake, aggressive was a requirement for Fitterer from owner David Tepper. Much of his tenure was marked by the intense pressure to replace Cam Newton at quarterback. From signing Teddy Bridgewater, to trading for Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, to ultimately acquiring Young.

He certainly made his share of deals with the Panthers, from a slew of draft day trades to last year’s big trade up to the first overall pick to select Bryce Young. That’s not to mention the player trades, like for Darnold and Baker, or sending away Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore with little to show in return, or declining a king’s ransom for Brian Burns in the same time frame.

His drafting also left much to be desired. Many fans, myself included, hoped that would improve once he was out from under the influence of Matt Rhule. The former head coach had final say on the Panthers roster during his time here and clearly had a heavy hand in Fitterer’s drafts.

Fitterer oversaw three drafts in his time with the Panthers, drafting 22 players—including 11 in 2021, his first year on the job. 13 of those players are still with the Panthers today, but not all of them are considered to be contributors nor are they all expected to return next season. Overall, only 17 players on the Panthers current active roster were drafted by the team. That number jumps to 22 if you count players on injured reserve.

The Carolina Panthers are now set to replace their head coach and general manager in the same season for the first time since 2003’s hiring of John Fox and subsequent promotion of Marty Hurney. If they hire their GM first then it will be the first time a new GM has been part of a coaching search since the foundation of the franchise in 1995.