Panthers Expected to Name New GM This Week
After a few weeks of searching and interviewing candidates for the Carolina Panthers general manager opening, team owner David Tepper is zeroing in on his guy as a decision is expected to be made sometime this week, according to Darin Gantt of Panthers.com.
The Panthers have interviewed 15 candidates during their search with several names having some sort of connection to either Tepper or head coach Matt Rhule.
- Pat Stewart worked with Rhule at Western Carolina in 2005 and then at Temple in 2006. He was brought to the Panthers' organization last January to serve as the Director of Player Personnel.
- Adam Peters is currently the VP of Player Personnel of the San Francisco 49ers. Peters played defensive end at UCLA when Rhule was the defensive line coach there in 2001 and has remained in touch with Rhule throughout the years, according to Albert Breer of the MMQB.
- Jeff Ireland, Assistant GM of the New Orleans Saints, is a Baylor alum, which is where Rhule coached from 2017-19.
- Omar Khan has served in a variety of roles during his 19-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. David Tepper established a good relationship with Khan when Tepper was a minority owner of the franchise. His name has been floating around for a few other GM openings as well.
- Samir Suleiman currently holds the title of Director of Player Negotiations/Salary Cap Manager for the Panthers, making him one of the more intriguing options in the pool. He knows the team better than anyone and knows exactly what needs to happen for this franchise to take that next step in the rebuild.
The morning the team announced the firing of Marty Hurney, David Tepper met with the media for roughly 30 minutes to talk about the move and what he is expecting/looking for in his new GM.
"I think at the end of the day, at some point it was going to be inevitable. I don't know if it was inevitable but it was a question of where we are now and how processes are done. I'm a very process-oriented, analytical person, and not that Marty is not. It's just a little bit different process. And I'll say it again the students are graduating from what is a very good teacher.
"There has to be an alignment between the coach and the GM. The person has to be a collaborator, not afraid to make decisions. Collaboration doesn't mean you don't have arguments about who you're picking. Somebody who is a good decision-maker, a good manager."
Below is the list of candidates that have completed the interview process:
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Browns VP of Football Ops)
Scott Fitterer (Seahawks VP of Football Ops)
Jeff Ireland (Saints Assistant GM, College Scouting Director)
Champ Kelly (Bears Assitant Director of Player Personnel)
Omar Khan (Steelers VP of Football & Business Administration)
Monti Ossenfort (Titans Director of Player Personnel)
Adam Peters (49ers VP of Player Personnel)
Ryan Poles (Chiefs Assistant Director of Player Personnel)
Jerry Reese (Former Giants GM)
Joe Schoen (Bills Assistant GM)
Pat Stewart (Panthers Director of Player Personnel)
Samir Suleiman (Panthers Director of Player Negotiations/Salary Cap Manager)
Brandt Tillis (Chiefs Director of Football Administration)
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