John Schneider calls Panthers GM Scott Fitterer ‘a great evaluator of people’
The Panthers got their guy. Last night, the team announced they’ve agreed to terms of a five-year deal with Scott Fitterer to become their general manger.
For two decades, Fitterer has been working for the Seahawks. The last several years were spent working closely with their general manager John Schneider in a role that Seattle called “co-director of player personnel.” Here’s what Schneider had to say about Fitterer in his team’s press release on the news.
“We are extremely happy for Scott and Cherish. Scott is going to be an amazing leader for the Carolina Panthers. . . While he will be missed here in Seattle, we are excited for his opportunity. Scott is very talented and his strengths are many: he is a great evaluator of people, an excellent communicator, and a tremendous person. The entire Seahawks family wishes the Fitterers the best.”
There’s more to the job than just evaluating – both prospects and people – but it is the big selling point that Fitterer brings to the table.
While Carolina’s previous general manager Marty Hurney had a brilliant record of finding potential Hall of Fame talents in the first round of the draft, the rest of the gig proved far more difficult.
By comparison, the Seahawks’ front office the last 10 years went pretty much the exact opposite way. With Schneider and Fitterer calling the shots, Seattle made a habit of trading their first-round picks, which they did in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017. Unlike Hurney’s Panthers, they did a sensational job of finding talent in the later rounds. Their greatest hits included picking Russell Wilson in the third, K.J. Wright in the fourth and both Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor in the fifth.
Fitterer is of course his own man and won’t do everything the same as Seattle, but if he’s able to carry over that crucial ability to find gems on Day 2 and 3 it could help make this team competitive for a long time.
