Dave Gettleman has been relieved from his duties as general manager of the Carolina Panthers per team owner, Jerry Richardson.
Major news broke on Monday as the Carolina Panthers have removed Dave Gettleman as the general manager, per multiple reports and confirmed by the team. Panthers owner Jerry Richardson issued a statement via a press release on the team’s website:
"“After much thought and a long evaluation of our football operations, I have decided to relieve Dave Gettleman of his duties as general manager,” Richardson said. “I want to thank Dave for the role he played in our success over the past four seasons. While the timing of this decision is not ideal, a change is needed.”"
While the Panthers struggled to a 6-10 record during the 2016 season, the team has been widely successful under Gettleman, as it won the NFC South three seasons in a row prior to last year, including reaching Super Bowl 50. During that time, the team put together a combined 40-23-1 regular season record.
Gettleman’s employment with the Panthers has coincided with the success that the team has enjoyed recently. Under his tenure, the team has added a number of high-profile players such as Kawann Short and Kelvin Benjamin, while also being a key piece in negotiating long-term contracts with captains Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly.
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Many were shocked with the firing as Gettleman’s time with the Panthers was widely considered a success. The biggest “hurdle” of sorts came with the team losing Josh Norman to free agency. Norman and the Panthers attempted to negotiate but a deal could not be reached. Gettleman then decided to rescind the franchise player tag, allowing Norman to walk away.
While he didn’t have the greatest season with the Washington Redskins, Norman was a key part of the Panthers defense in years prior. Gettleman made the decision to “replace” Norman through the draft, but none of those options blossomed until a strong solution; even though Zack Sanchez and Daryl Worley played well at the end of the year. The situation almost played out again this off-season with Short, but both sides were able to get a long term deal done.
Norman, DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith — two other players who were key contributors to the Panthers success, but left under situations rife with tension — took to social media to seemingly mock Gettleman on Monday. Williams even went as far as to say that he’s now willing to come back to Carolina after publically stating he would not play for the team.
Gettleman has 30 years of experience working in scouting departments across the NFL. In the seasons with Gettleman at the helm, the Panthers have been one of the best postseason teams in the league. Only the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers have more wins.
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No word has been made about who will replace Gettleman. Whoever takes over the position will inherit head coach Ron Rivera and a coaching staff that is mostly in place. Gettleman has yet to release an official statement about his firing.