4 general manager candidates Carolina Panthers will be sorry they didn't hire
Carolina Panthers should have examined Nick Matteo
A salary cap and contract guru, Nick Matteo would have been a lovely general manager hire. The Baltimore Ravens are continually one of the most well-run, best overall teams in the NFL from the top down. The ownership is solid. The front office is excellent. The coaching staff is elite, and the roster is loaded.
Someone who has had a big part in that is Matteo, who is vice president of football administration for the team. Here's an excerpt on about the overlooked candidate via the Ravens' website:
"Since joining the club in 2019, Matteo has negotiated the contracts of all 37 draft picks during that time, plus several free agents, and has worked on the extensions for a number of key Ravens, including most recently All-Pro TE Mark Andrews...
- baltimoreravens.com
Negotiated contracts for free agents CB Kyle Fuller, T Morgan Moses and S Marcus Williams. 2021: Promoted to vice president of football administration...Oversaw the contract negotiations for free agent G Kevin Zeitler and the extension of TE Mark Andrews. 2020: Negotiated contract extensions for LT Ronnie Stanley, S Chuck Clark and P Sam Koch..."
Having someone with a strong knowledge of contracts and salary cap space would have been a useful addition for the Carolina Panthers. Although they appear to be targeting someone with this sort of experience to work alongside Dan Morgan.
If the Panthers would have made this hire, Matteo had the scope to bring a partner or two over from Baltimore to help run the team. With how successful the Ravens have been in recent years, you'd think that this potential brain trust could work wonders given the current state of affairs in Carolina.
General managers in the NFL have come from a variety of roles. Just because a candidate does not have an assistant general manager tag, does not mean they aren't qualified. Matteo would have been a home-run hire.