The Carolina Panthers have a general manager. For real, this time.
After six weeks of back-and-forth that swung from interim GM Marty Hurney being an apparent shoo-in for the same post he held from 2002 to 2012 and drafted franchise cornerstones Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly to being investigated by the NFL for a personal conduct policy violation, the Panthers made official what has been considered a foregone conclusion since his hiring last July after the surprise firing of Dave Gettleman, announcing that Hurney is the Panthers’ new general manager via their website.
Hurney, who made waves during his interim post this season with a controversial trade deadline move sending former first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin to the Buffalo Bills, was interviewed two weeks ago along with Bills assistant director of college scouting Lake Dawson, Texans assistant GM Jimmy Raye III, and 49ers senior personnel executive Martin Mayhew and was widely considered the favorite for the position until his ex-wife Jeanie Hurney filed for a protective order against Hurney and he was placed on paid leave by the team while the NFL conducted an investigation into the allegations of domestic abuse. The investigation into the complaint, which was dropped by Hurney’s ex-wife, was concluded by the NFL on Friday and Hurney was reinstated by the team into his interim role.
The announcement comes just in time for the franchise to begin making player personnel decisions, as teams can begin assigning franchise tags to players Tuesday, and while both guard Andrew Norwell and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei would be candidates for the tag, neither are expected to be given the designation, which allows teams to prevent a player from becoming a free agent, but forces them to commit to a one-year guaranteed contract determined by the five-year average of the highest-paid players at each position. The tag for Norwell would be at least $14 million and Lotulelei, who was the first draft pick for the Panthers after Hurney was fired in 2012, would cost the team around the same cap figure; the decision on Norwell will be a big one, as rumors swirl that former Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, now making the decisions for the New York Giants, is prepared to offer the all-pro guard a contract which would make him the highest paid guard in NFL history.
Hurney and owner Jerry Richardson look on during a 2017 training camp session.
Between Norwell, Lotulelei, a new ownership coming in, an extremely important draft and free agency period upcoming, the question of whether Julius Peppers will retire, possible cap casualty decisions on long-time Panthers Jonathan Stewart, Charles Johnson, Ryan Kalil and the Panthers looking to take full advantage of Cam Newton’s prime, the 2018 offseason is primed to be one of the most exciting in Panthers franchise history.
The next event in the offseason, the NFL Scouting Combine, begins February 27th.
