Scott Fitterer Leaving Seahawks, Becomes Panthers' General Manager

Starting his career as a scout and climbing the ladder in Seattle's front office over two decades, Fitterer will finally have a chance to show what he can do as an NFL general manager and will join forces with coach Matt Rhule.

After coming up short in previous interview opportunities, the Seahawks finally lost a key component of their front office with Scott Fitterer agreeing to terms with the Panthers to become their new general manager.

Fitterer, 47, has been with Seattle since 2001. In 19 seasons, he climbed the ladder to serve multiple roles under general manager John Schneider, most recently being elevated to vice president of football operations this season.

Through the Seahawks social media accounts, Schneider released a statement congratulating Fitterer on accepting his new position with the Panthers:

Originally joining the organization as a scout, Fitterer played a role in the construction of Seattle's first Super Bowl team in 2005. After Schneider took over in 2010, he became the team's college director of scouting, helping the team unearth several cornerstones for their eventual championship teams in subsequent drafts.

First in 2011, the Seahawks drafted linebacker K.J. Wright, cornerback Richard Sherman, and linebacker Malcolm Smith, who were all day three selections that quickly became defensive starters. The following year, the team struck gold with one of the best drafts in NFL history, snagging future Hall of Famers in linebacker Bobby Wagner and quarterback Russell Wilson in the second and third rounds respectively.

By 2015, Fitterer earned another promotion to co-director of player personnel, a position he held through the 2019 season.

Now, Fitterer will join forces with second-year coach Matt Rhule in Carolina, taking over a Panther squad that struggled to five wins in 2020 but also boasts plenty of young talent and will hold a top-10 pick in April's draft. The cupboard certainly isn't bare with star running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver D.J. Moore, defensive tackle Derrick Brown, and rising safety Jeremy Chinn.

"We went through a thorough process and it was a great final four," Panthers owner David Tepper said, per the team's release. "We thought Scott was the best fit for the organization."

As for the Seahawks, it won't be easy to find a replacement for Fitterer. But the organization has been preparing for this day for a couple of years as teams continued to show interest in him as a general manager candidate and a successor should be announced in the near future.