5 biggest decisions the Carolina Panthers’ new general manager will have to make
When the Carolina Panthers moved on from general manager Marty Hurney Monday, they joined a group of NFL teams looking for new talent. There are four other teams across the NFL also actively searching for their next general manager.
Three of those four have interim head coaches — the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons. The Jacksonville Jaguars have a general manager opening amidst a one-win season.
The situation for the Carolina Panthers differs from those other teams who are in the market for someone to lead the personnel side. The Panthers have a head coach in place in Matt Rhule, who said he had no interest in a general manager-type role but will have plenty of say in the organization and the selection of the person he will be working with.
There’s the beginning of a system in place in Carolina, a “process” that both owner David Tepper and Rhule are looking to follow. Whoever is brought in to work with them, will have to be interested in continuing that vision.
“This person that comes in has to get along, has to be aligned in vision, but has to collaborate, and be able to communicate with Matt and me,” Tepper said.
The new general manager will have plenty of work to do, but will be closely making decisions with Rhule and Tepper, as the Panthers continue to build the franchise using what Hurney taught them and their own vision. Here are some of the top tasks.
1. The likely top-five draft pick
This is going to be at the top of the board no matter what. Hurney is known for his ability to identify talent, something Tepper pointed out during his media availability after Hurney was fired. For any knocks that may exist on his drafting ability, Hurney has a strong first-round draft record. A sampling: Brian Burns, DJ Moore, Luke Kuechly, Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart, Jon Beason. The list goes on.
The Panthers are set up to have a top-five pick in the 2021 draft. That doesn’t happen every year. Only three times in 26 Carolina drafts has the team had a top-five pick (Newton, Julius Peppers, Kerry Collins).
Games against the 6-8 Washington Football Team and 10-4 New Orleans Saints await, and while there’s a chance New Orleans will have slightly less to play for in the playoff picture by Week 17, both games will be tough for a 4-10 team.
What the Panthers do with this first-round pick is important and it’s key to get it right. The team won’t be as active in free agency this offseason as they were last year — not as many holes at starting roles exist — which will make the draft selections that much more important.
Another aspect to this pick. Should they trade? If the Panthers are indeed in the first five picks, it’s an option that will be on the table. There’s zero chance of getting into the top two picks, which means they will miss out on Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. This is a team that needs a lot of help. There is much to gain by getting a big haul of picks in this year’s draft and years to come.
Whether it’s ultimately a quarterback, which seems more and more likely, an offensive lineman, a defensive player or trading back, the team can’t afford to miss. Rhule and the new GM will have a big decision to make.
2. Free agency moves
There are 20-plus players in Carolina set to become free agents this offseason.
Most notably among them are starting right tackle Taylor Moton and wide receiver Curtis Samuel, both of whom will be unrestricted free agents. Keeping both seems nearly impossible. Good, consistent offensive linemen do not come around often, but Moton will also try to get a big contract and may get it elsewhere.
“There’s a few (free agents) that we have to consider that have been out there. And you know the names, three or four guys,” Tepper said. “So that’s the first process, we’ll make sure we have and the right people are making those decisions or thinking about those decisions.”
Other names include Panthers defensive end Efe Obada, who will be a restricted free agent and has played well on the line under Rhule, restricted free agent versatile offensive lineman Trent Scott, starting left tackle Russell Okung and starting guards John Miller and Chris Reed.
The lower cap situation next year will play a role in determining who the Panthers can re-sign, but the new GM will need to work with the front office staff and Rhule to figure out which players should be a priority to try and re-sign or try to sign from other teams.
3. The rest of the draft
There’s a reason this is included separately from the top pick. For a young team like the Panthers that have so many starting jobs up for grabs, especially on the defensive side of the ball, taking the right players on Days 2 and 3 of the draft is just as vital as a top pick in the long-term.
Look at second-round pick Jeremy Chinn, backup defensive tackle Bravvion Roy and 2019 sixth-round pick Dennis Daley, who was having a solid second-year before he suffered a season-ending concussion in Week 11.
The Panthers have foundational pieces on both sides of the ball, but are still establishing who the team will be built around long-term and that extends beyond the first pick . Having an off-draft especially after letting go of Hurney, would not be a good way to start Rhule’s first year with a new general manager.
4. Quarterback situation, sort of
Teddy Bridgewater’s contract is set up for him to be easily released in 2022, but it will make sense to keep him around in 2021 no matter what (otherwise it is a dead cap hit of $20 million). That has been true since he signed the contract.
The new general manager will need to figure out how they and the coaching staff feel about Bridgewater’s long-term and short-term role, and then go from there.
Clarity about Bridgewater going into the draft and the team building, which may be difficult due to his up-and-down season, is the first step.
5. Making their own mark but adhering to Tepper’s and Rhule’s vision
The Panthers’ front office won’t be organized in the same way. Decision-making will have a new approach. Tepper and Rhule have a vision for this program. They will be looking for someone to work with them to execute that.
“Someone who’s great at personnel who wants to collaborate and work together to win a championship. You can’t say how exactly that will come, it can come in lots of different ways,” Rhule said when asked what he wants in a GM. ”That’s how I look at all these jobs. I think, a winning organization, everyone doesn’t have like their role and their title, everyone has a mission and it’s to win.”
Of course, personnel decisions are important and will have an impact on wins and losses in the years to come. But Rhule received a seven-year contract and Tepper continues to bring up the long-term plan. There is a clear-cut vision for this team.
Whoever is hired will have to fit with what the Panthers are already doing under Rhule and bring their own experience and twist to the position and the way the personnel side of things is run. That’s a tough combination. The person who fills the job will have to be on the same page with Rhule and Tepper’s significant influence and have their own perspective. Getting the relationships and communication right is as important in the long-term as free agency moves.
