In a move which comes as little surprise, the Panthers have moved on from general manager Scott Fitterer. His three-year run in Charlotte is now over, and the team’s offseason will include a search for replacements both on the sidelines and in the front office.
“As we move forward with the new direction for our franchise, I have made the decision that Scott Fitterer will no longer serve as our general manager,” a statement from owner David Tepper reads. “I appreciate Scott’s efforts and wish the best for him and his family.” 
A report from last month pointed to Fitterer being shown the door to coincide with yet another search for a new head coach. The longtime Seahawks exec had received a vote of confidence in the wake of Matt Rhule being let go, but a repeat on that front will not take place. The Panthers now join the Chargers and Raiders as teams with GM openings.
After a 5-12 campaign in his 2021 Carolina debut, Fitterer has attempted to find a long-term answer for the franchise at the quarterback position. That included the trade acquisition of Baker Mayfield last summer. The former No. 1 pick struggled mightily in Charlotte, however, and he was gone by the time the season came to an end. Running back Christian McCaffrey had been dealt away by the end of the 7-10 campaign, leaving the Panthers in need of an organizational reset.
That effort was built in large part on the blockbuster move to acquire the top pick in the 2023 draft from the Bears. The Panthers sent Chicago a package including two first-round selections, two second-rounders and wideout D.J. Moore to move to the top of the draft board. That maneuver resulted in Bryce Young being selected, something which came about after an internal decision-making process which has been the subject of considerable speculation and scrutiny.
As ex-head coach Frank Reich has made clear, Tepper played a central role in the decision to select Young over other signal-callers available (namely C.J. Stroud). Young’s struggles led to a very poor offensive showing, something which informed Reich’s dismissal after only 11 games at the helm. Regardless of how much weight his voice carried in the Young selectin, Fitterer has drawn criticism for authorizing the trade and for failing to insulate Young with an adequate offensive line in his rookie year.
Overall, the Panthers posted a 14-37 record during Fitterer’s run. That represents the league’s worst mark over that span, and with this year’s top pick belonging to the Bears, the path to contending status will be a difficult one for his replacement to navigate. Among the top priorities for the new GM will be working out the future for Pro Bowl edge rusher Brian Burns. The former first-rounder is due to reach free agency this offseason, and either a franchise tag or a long-term deal will need to be in place to keep him in Charlotte for 2024 and beyond. Talks on an extension have not produced much traction to date, but a new face at the negotiating table could bring about progress.
While interim head coach Chris Tabor will be replaced over the coming weeks, likely by an outside candidate, the same may not be true for Fitterer’s successor. Assistant GM Dan Morgan is liked within the organization, and he has a chance to be promoted to the full-time role; ESPN’s David Newton reports Morgan will oversee personnel moves for now. Given Tepper’s less-than-stellar reputation (particularly with respect to meddling), it will be interesting to see how much of a market this vacancy generates.
2024 marks the first time in Tepper’s tenure that the Panthers have a simultaneous opening at the head coach and general manager positions. Needless to say, the coming weeks will therefore have a profound impact on the short- and long-term direction of the franchise as a rebound from this year’s 2-15 slate is sought out.
As long as Tepper is the owner, the “new direction” of the franchise will continue to be the same old direction of the franchise.
Bring back the Jerry Richardson statue.
That trade with the Bears sealed his fate. Hope the Bears can pull off a similar one this April. That and picking the wrong QB.
That was clearly Tepper’s decision. He’s been obsessed with acquiring a QB since he bought the team. He’s one of these guys who thinks that’s the be all, end all. Remember that he was also the person pushing most aggressively for Watson and probably would have given him the contract Cleveland gave him had Watson been receptive. Fitterer was bad outside of that decision though.
If the trade went bad it’s Fitterers fault
If the trade worked out it’s Teppers genius instinct
Would have made sure every media person knew he was behind it.
And missing out on trading the DE for 2 1st’s and change.
When David Tepper looks at himself in the mirror, the mirror weeps in shame.
and then Tepper fires the mirror
Appreciate the efforts? I’m sure anything Fitterer wanted to do that Tepper didn’t like Tepper over ruled him. Tepper might as well just become owner / gm at this point. Save everyone the trouble.
Those former Seattle executives were terrible GMs. Like the guy who was with the Jets before Douglas. I can’t name one good player that Fitterer acquired during his tenure.
Yeah, it’s hard to name one — but at least they got rid of McCaffrey and DJ Moore. And their 1st-round pick.
Yeah those guys were getting in the way. That trade was made way before the draft and Poles had to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming. he took it quickly before Fitterer sobered up.
So, it turns out that trading a boatload of picks to draft a jockey as your QB is NOT the way to go, then?
Guess he wasn’t a good FIT-terer
Did he throw his coffee or whatever he was drinking at him after he fired him?
I want to be the GM candidate having to answer the question “who is your QB going to be?”.
The correct answer, in the form of a question, is “Who do you think the QB should be, Mr. Tepper?”.
The real question is, What GM in his right mind would even interview for this job? Seeing as Tepper treats his people like used Kleenex and interferes in everything? I bet they’re lining up around the block to sign up. Somebody will take the job because there are only 32 of them, But it won’t be anybody with a reputation to protect, In other words somebody who would be good at the job.
Anyone worth hiring probably has better options outside of Carolina. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up hiring a college coach who is looking to take their first step into the NFL.
Being fired by Tepper is the game board equivalent of drawing the “Get Out Of Jail Free” card.