Scott

Fitterer

Fitterer was relieved of his duties as the Panthers’ general manager in January. The team went 14-37 in three years under him. Carolina was in a rebuilding period when Fitterer took over and the plane never so much as left the runway. His tenure ended in disaster after he traded up to the No. 1 overall pick for Bryce Young, only for the Alabama quarterback to implode as a rookie. To Fitterer’s credit, David Tepper had his thumb on the scale more than almost any other owner in the league, making it hard to know how much blame to assign to Fitterer. Now under new ownership, the Commanders’ front office has been revamped for the 2024 season and is led by Adam Peters.

Panthers’ owner David Tepper continues to look for everyone responsible for the disaster that was the 2023 Carolina Panthers. The removal of Fitterer marks a complete overhaul for the Panthers, who went 2-14, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for the Chicago Bears. With no first round draft pick and an owner whose reputation has taken a bit of a nosedive in recent months, the Panthers could face an uphill battle to hire a GM and head coach of note. With that said, Tepper has the money to overpay for quality hires if needed.

The Panthers moved on from head coach Frank Reich earlier in the season. Canning Fitterer would offer the next regime a clean slate as they look to clean up the mess Fitterer made. Fitterer has been the team’s general manager since 2021. The Panthers have hardly found any starters via the draft during his tenure and have overpaid for poor quarterback play multiple times. The final nail in the coffin could be trading up for Bryce Young. The move cost Carolina 2024’s No. 1 overall pick and saddled them with a disastrous rookie season from the undersized quarterback. Per Schefter, Panthers assistant GM Dan Morgan could be the next man up as he has support within the organization.

He’s also, if you believe him, heard from a couple of teams about trading up for No. 6. Smokescreen or not, the massive hole under center for the Panthers will continue to guide discourse for the team until it’s addressed in a real way. Malik Willis and Kenny Pickett figure to be the quarterbacks under consideration for the team at No. 6, but with how different draft boards are this year between teams, a surprise can’t be ruled out. Fitterer later added, “We want to stabilize the quarterback position,” and told reporters he sat down with Sam Darnold and told him the team likely would add a quarterback through this weekend.

The Panthers don’t have a second- or third-round pick after trading them away in deals for Sam Darnold and CB C.J. Henderson last year, so moving down from No. 6 overall makes a whole heck of a lot of sense for GM Scott Fitterer. Many have the Panthers reaching for a quarterback with the sixth pick, but moving back and picking up additional draft capital and then taking a quarterback would be the best route for Carolina. Fitterer just needs a dance partner.

As it currently stands, the market for trading back looks to be more robust than the demand for high picks. Miami is also reported to be exploring a trade back from the No. 6 pick. Both teams are likely anticipating that one of the top quarterbacks will slide, prompting a QB-needy team to move up. The Panthers have a slew of holes to fill so a trade that nets them extra bullets at starting-caliber players makes sense. Denver and New England both have talented rosters sans a quarterback. Those are the two teams rookie GM Scott Fitterer is likely to be enticing with trade offers leading up to draft night.

With the Seahawks since 2001, Fitterer just completed his sixth season as VP of football operations. Something of an annual candidate on the interview circuit, Fitterer had never find the right fit to leave Seattle. Fitterer has a background in both college scouting and pro personnel, but he is most known for his work on the college side. A survivor of three head coaches and a handful of front offices in Seattle, Fitterer will be tasked with furthering ex-college coach Matt Rhule’s NFL evolution, something he has experience with from working with Pete Carroll.