CHARLOTTE, NC – The Carolina Panthers fired Chief Executive Marty Hurney Monday over philosophical disagreements.
“You look at successful organizations, and there is some alignment between the head coach and the GM,” team owner David Tepper said in a statement. “To think you can do that without some sort of alignment is crazy. So not having a head coach who has some input on that is stupid. I don’t want to be stupid, okay?”
Hurney, whose contract was due to expire in June, is out immediately and the Panthers (4-10) will start reforming their front office for the off-season. They are currently in line for a top five concept pick.
“I think sometimes you just need a reboot, a freshening up,” said Tepper. “We did it last year on the coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have happened earlier on the GM side. Maybe it should have been. I’m sure people will say that, or otherwise, on both sides. . “
‘I think it’s just time on both sides to do that. It just seems like the right time to move on. ‘
Tepper said in the statement that recent talks with Hurney about football operations made it clear they weren’t on the same page.
Tepper and Chief Communications Officer Steven Drummond will immediately begin identifying candidates, with some already in mind. Head coach Matt Rhule will also be part of the process.
Tepper made it clear he wasn’t happy with the team’s record, even though running Christian McCaffrey missed 11 games with injuries and the defense was completely overhauled with young players.
“This team could easily have four more wins,” said Tepper. “The eight games we had the last ball to win or a tie – seven to win, one to tie – if you win four of those games, you’re now in a totally different position with this young team. Next year I’m hopeful where we’ll be and what we’ll do. “
Hurney has worked with the Panthers since 1998, initially as director of football administration. He helped the 2003 team reach the Super Bowl under coach John Fox, and in large part built the 2015 team that went to the Super Bowl under general manager Dave Gettleman.
Hurney was fired five games in the 2012 season, with the team off to a bad start, and re-hired in 2017 after Gettleman was fired.
He is responsible for drafting some of Carolina’s greatest stars of all time, such as quarterback Cam Newton, linebacker Luke Kuechly and linebacker Thomas Davis.
The Panthers join Houston, Jacksonville, Detroit and Atlanta as teams seeking a general manager.