As former Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman found new work with the Giants in the same capacity on Thursday, some began to wonder about the future of the position the preseason firing of Gettleman left in Charlotte.
Team owner Jerry Richardson made the decision to axe Gettleman and bring in former G.M. Marty Hurney in an interim role just before the start of training camp in July. But with Richardson now putting the team up for sale at season’s end amid controversy, the entire future of the Panthers organization as far as top-shelf personnel matters appears to be in a holding pattern.
With an owner search not expected to start until the end of the season, which will now extend into the playoffs, the process of finding and settling on new leadership for the organization likely won’t be a quick one. After all, this is the first sale of the Panthers’ organization in team history, as Richardson has owned the franchise since its inception in 1995. In other words, no one really knows how all of this is going to play out.
It’s been made clear, via reports, that Hurney would like the position full-time once again. He previously served as the Panthers’ general manager from 2002-2012.
His current one-year contract has him serving as the team’s lead decision-maker on personnel matters through June of 2018. That would give him complete control of free agency (which opens in March) and the NFL Draft (late April). With the Panthers having so much success on the field this season, it seems unlikely a new owner – who probably won’t be decided on until at least a month or two after the conclusion of the season – would come in and fire Hurney immediately after stepping foot into his office.
It’s also possible Richardson’s decision to sale could hurt Hurney. The two are close and have a strong history together, and it’s entirely plausible, if not likely, Richardson would have given Hurney a long-term extension following the season.
Regardless, come June, a decision will have to be made of Hurney’s future one way or another. In other news, head coach Ron Rivera’s contract also runs out after the 2018 season, meaning the Panthers must make a decision on a new owner, its general manager and its head coach in the next calendar year alone.
